Chapped
by Numei
Summary: It only took a kiss to grant the power of a lifetime, a power that changed my life forever. It only took a kiss from a simple girl whose lips were cursed to give these gifts, these travesties—the gift to create a monster. AU
1. Snatched

**I don't own Inuyasha. The story idea (basic starting points) came from something else I watched. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Revised chapter. ****(5/6/2011)**

**Chapter 1 :: Snatched**

* * *

_If I was told earlier that my life could be changed in one moment, by one mistake, because I was curious—I would have said that it was a cliché, a lie. My mistakes have caught up with me, my problems have enveloped my life, and I've decided to stay with this girl._

_I'm a thief, plain and simple. I steal for a living-and I do make quite a living. Usually, I know my target, what it is that I'm supposed to be stealing, and the people who own it. This time it was all a gamble. _

* * *

The room was pitch black as a small, recurring bleep broke the silence in the area. There was a groan from somewhere in the room as a hand groped around a shelf to find something. A lamp light flicked on and the groggy man, stared forward, looking to his computer screen nearby. The desktop was on, but the screen was blank. Shifting out of bed, the man grumbled, shuffling his feet towards the screen, leaning over to shake the little mouse which caused the screen to brighten up significantly. His violet eyes squinted a little more at the sudden, abrupt lighting and he clicked on an icon at the bottom of the screen. A black window spanned across his screen and a few words flashed across the screen in white. Even in his groggy stupor, the man smiled, turning the screen off and going back to sleep, this was something he needed more sleep to think about and would soon be hearing about later that day.

Miroku woke up, his shades drawn shut so that light barely peeked inside to light the dark recesses of his room. He yawned, propping his body and his leg up underneath his sheets. He wore no shirt as he scratched his head, remembering the note from the early morning. Moving out of bed, Miroku turns the monitor on, giving the mouse the same back and forth movement to read the screen. The black box still filled it, and his eyes were thankful.

He opened a drawer and pulled out a notepad and pen, scribbling a few things down before walking to his closet—still in the dark. He pulled out a few clothes, and tossed them onto his bed, preparing himself for the short day ahead of him.

He walked down the street in jeans and a navy blue shirt. His eyes were obscured by sunglasses as he sat at a table, looking around for the man that called him here. A light brown haired man soon appeared from behind the building, coming over to Miroku's table with a grin and a bag in hand. They sat down at the little outside table before the thief quickly got down to business.

"Jiro, I hear you have a new jewel for me to find?" The dark haired man leaned back in his seat, extending one arm out across the table to finger the salt bottle nearby. "How important is it to message me at three in the morning?" His happy, lighthearted tone took on a darker one—he was just a little pissed from being jostled out of bed at that ungodly hour.

The man called Jiro gave Miroku a huge grin, pulling out some papers that held the latest steal. "Oh boy, it is. If this is true—," he pointed down at a paragraph, "—then you and I could be some of the most powerful men in the world."

The thief's violet eyes scanned the segment. He read it aloud, looking up at him with a confused look, as if this was too good to be true, a definite fake, "_'That lets a person gain a power to be reckoned with, that can take down cities'_—and this doesn't sound like bull shit to you?" His sunglasses dipped down on his nose, showing off the color behind them and the strained, annoyed look.

His buddy, friend, maybe even acquaintance held his hands up in his defense, "Hey, Hey! This sounds like a good enough deal to me. I haven't sent you in the wrong direction before, have I?"

The other man, Miroku, sat in silence, slipping the glasses off his face and folding them up to lie on the table beside him. He shook his head.

"As I thought!" Jiro replied.

Miroku brutally came in with a retort of his own, "How big is it? What's it look like? Do you have any information other than this hearsay crap?" The lighter haired man looked down, biting his bottom lip and shuffling through some more papers.

"I got this." He pushed one over to the thief. "It tells ya some of the names of the people that go there—all high profile types—it tells you where this meeting is held and all—"

"But nothing about what it is." Jiro shook his head, a frown coming across his shaggy features. The man opened his mouth to make a reply but was interrupted, "I can try. If it is real… I could get whatever I wanted."

* * *

The meetings happened every Friday. A large congregation of people would gather around the house and be let in. Only a few top dogs had the chance to even see the jewel or use it. Getting in through the entrance would be tricky and not advised in the least. There were guards surrounding just about every opening one could think of, but this thief had already done his homework and was already inside the building before all this mess started.

There Miroku was, in the cellar with some maid in a make out session. She was cute, with a little pug nose and short black hair. Her skirt was already hiked up as she pressed him against the wall, trying to feel as much of him as she possibly could. Her hands were all along his head, brushing back his fine dark locks and pulling the little rat tail he had on the back of his head out of its bindings. He stopped as things were getting too heavy, pulling his lips away from hers with a sly grin, rubbing his fingers against her cheek with eyes any woman could get lost in—and she did.

His voice was raw and deep with passion, however faked it was, it all seemed real to her, "These past few days, I have never felt so connected to a person as much as I have with you." She nodded, leaning in for the kiss again. He moved his fingers to stop her lips, continuing his words, "But I am afraid I can't go through with what you want me to. You are too pure and too wonderful of a woman for me to be with right now. I must better myself so when the time comes, you and I will truly be one."

She put her hands to her heart, her face lit up in a red blush as she backed away. "You are the perfect man, Hiro. You know just what to say." She swooned, straightening out her clothes and clinging to his arm one last time.

"So I take the way down, like you showed me before?"

She paused, thinking of the day, "There is a showcase down there now. You might have to wear one of the robes they have to get out safely." She leaned in and gave him one last peck on the cheek, "Goodbye." She giggled it out and scampered off to go to work.

Miroku grinned, holding onto the doorframe before he too went to do his job.

He took to the hiding places laid out to him on his first day here. The door hidden within the walls that led him down the long hallway—he could hear the voices as he ran towards the exit. He got to the door and looked out the peep hole, nearby were the clothes she mentioned. He slid the door open just a little at the right moment and stole one of the robes, slipping it on over his current attire and hanging the hood low over his head to obscure his face from view.

The thief doubled back, moving to another series of doors shown to him to get to the required place where the meeting began. He appeared out in the open in a darkened hall, much like the hidden doorways he travelled through. However, this time, he hopped over a low wall and began to walk up a few stairs where tiny lights littered the ceiling. He ended up near a group over other people inside the same area, standing along a bunch of stands, staring out into a little circular area. This place was dark and dank. It was a little unnerving to know that this was where the showcase would be.

There was a large chair in the middle of the large room facing the seats. It was made for a king. The entire look of the place was reminiscent to that of a coliseum.

It took a few minutes, but soon all the seats were filled with people wearing robes—unknown people of high status and large pockets were filling these stands. There were no murmurs or whispers. It was eerily quiet, at least until a man walked out with a petite girl before him. He held her arms with his hands, leading her to the seat in the center. She was gorgeous with her hair done in a ton of curls, some which were settled atop her head, while some spilled in front of her face, falling down past her shoulders. Unknown to the theif, she was Sango.

Her lips were painted a beautiful pink, glossy-they were inviting. Her eyes were big, brown, and round. Everything about her was gorgeous—from her head to her toes, which he could see because she was barefoot. She was barely clothed, but she seemed so comfortable—so unaware of her surroundings that it almost scared him. She was in, what looked to be, bright pink underwear, but the straps circled the base of her shoulders, connecting themselves to sheer pink sleeves that went to her tiny hands. Those held what he was here for. The jewel.

The box was small and black with a golden rim, her hands circled it almost protectively as she stared forward at the row full of people.

The man that brought her out there grinned, his hair long and black. He was easily recognizable in the world. A prominent businessman that owned many companies—his name was Naraku. His eyes were cold as he took in the many people there, his hand splayed out to the side to show the woman and then he spoke, loud and clear. His voice rang out in the large room, causing every head to look at him, even the girl in the seat. "Who wants the kiss?"

Immediately after his words, men begin to raise their hands, shouting out loud sums of money into the area. It went from ten thousand, to fifty in less than a few minutes. The numbers continued to pile up in quick ascension until they hit one million. The price slowly went up from there. Miroku, seeing this as his only opportunity raised his hand and called out ten million. Everyone in the crowd went silent and looked at the big spender, whose face was still shrouded in the shadows of his robes.

Naraku grinned, "Come on down to receive your prize."

A little pathway was made for him, as he walks out from the seats and down into the center of the room. The girl came to a stand and walked towards him, the box still in her hands. His eyes seemed to jump from her chest to the chest she held in her hands. She stopped walking, standing before him and staring with such a blank look. There was no emotion in her eyes, it was chilling.

Her handler soon came up behind her, "Before you can claim your prize, remove your hood. I also need to be paid."

Miroku nodded, taking a slight pause before pulling his hood down. There were some murmurs, as no one noticed his face, it was like he was an unknown millionaire. He shifted the robes some to go into his pocket and pulled out a knife, grabbing the girl with one hand, holding her close to his body. He poised the knife right at her delicate neck and he wrapped his arm securely around her upper ones. He stared down into her eyes—they were still empty and she was just so calm.

There was now uproar in the crowd, some people making a fuss about how their prize was stolen. Miroku continued to back up a little, "Stay back or she'll get hurt." The girly quietly backed up with him. He leaned in to tell her something, to whisper some words in her ear about what to do, about how she'd give him the box, but instead, once he got close enough, she craned her head back and gave him a full on kiss to the lips.

They were so soft and the movement came out of nowhere. He broke the kiss, pulling back before a searing flash of pain took over his entire body. He gripped her tightly, and she made no noise. He fell to the ground and she collapsed to her knees, dropping the box beside him. In the background, Miroku heard Naraku scream out a loud 'No,' but his vision seemed to go a little blurry as he reached for the box, spilling out its contents. They consisted of some plush fluff and beads. He grabbed them and pulled it closer to his body as his vision came back, the pain subsiding while the girl just sat nearby. She never made a move to run away.

There were large burly men that started to come at him and in a quick brush of fear he raised his right hand, dropping the item and a burst of wind shot out from the center of his palm, drawing in anything that came close. One of the guards was drawn in, while the other dropped his weapon and ran. The girl looked on, not phased, with the same look in her eye. The thief grabbed the little items again, and the vortex stopped. He started to breathe heavily and turned to look at Sango. With his left hand he grabbed her arm, whisking her body up as he and the girl at his side rushed towards the secret hideaway he came through in the beginning. Still there was a rush of angry voices inside, one of them being Naraku's, who yelled for them to be caught.

Miroku whisked the half naked girl through the door, shutting it behind them. She was complacent, with no worries. Quickly still, he pulled her through twisting hallways, ducking out of the robes he stole before getting to an exit. Once outside, he ran a few blocks, garnering a few looks from those that saw them and came upon a small, black car. He shoved her inside the seat beside him, shutting her in and getting inside to drive. Quickly, he found the correct key and drove off into the night, perhaps never to see that place again. The entire ride home, he clutched onto those beads with all he had, not risking the same type of thing to happen again.

* * *

There was a loud, persistent knock on the door at some horribly early hour. The entrance to the tiny home opened up and Jiro looked out with a frown at Miroku. "Wha—?"

"It's a fucking girl!" the other man looked at Miroku with a confused look, a little more awake now that he got yelled at. "Yeah. That fucking treasure you were talking about? It's a fucking girl, and she's in my car." The darker haired man grabbed Jiro by the color of his shirt, pulling him towards his vehicle in an uncomfortable manner. The entire time, his hand had been clutching the contents from inside the box the and Jiro had been protesting. Letting go of the other man's shirt, he swung open the car door, pointing at the sleeping woman in the other seat.

His friend nodded. "Nice." He was smacked on the back of his head, his collar freed in that moment.

"Not nice. I was almost killed getting into that damn place and now I have this girl."

"D-Did you kiss her?" Jiro grinned.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Miroku got back into his car. His friend shrugged, his grin growing with every passing second. Miroku shut his door, rolling down his tinted windows to give the man the finger before driving off into the night.

* * *

_I always had nightmares, some were more frequent than others but they always seemed so real. They were one of the reasons I was never too keen on getting into a relationship with someone for the fear that I might change them into something horrible. I deduced that myself—my dreams were telling me that having a relationship and getting to that moment where I kiss… would result in tragedy._

_I don't know why some of the people kissed to were so ugly or old though. I never really had a thing for my teachers at school and they were much better looking._

_My dreams were just weird._

* * *

Sango raised her hands above her head, crunching them up above her head to touch her hair. It was messy at top. Her eyes opened—the room was so dark. She sat up, running a finger down over a curled lock of hair, pulling on it as it bounces back. Her heart thudded in the back of her chest and she placed a hand there—these were not the same clothes she was wearing last night. Her hands fell to the bed, clutching the sheets around her—this was not her bed. Her breathing quickened and she slid out of bed. Where was she? Last night was a blur; she remembered nothing except going to sleep and waking up in different clothes, with a new hairdo and in a new house.

The girl quickly rushed out of bed, scampering around the room for a light or a door, or something! She got to the lamp beside the bed first and flipped it on—everything looked normal. There were no knives or guns that she could see out in the open. Quickly, she rushed towards the door, jiggling the handle before swinging it open. There were a few short steps to go down—maybe ten. Her feet slid down each one in succession, her hands holding on the tiny railing as she looked out from around the corner.

There was no one in the room as the brunette tiptoed out in the open, moving down the stairs and towards the nearest door. Upon swinging it open, she was met with the sight of a man. His shirt was off and glistening with sweat as he rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, a purple glove and beads were surrounding it. She stared, mouth open, eyes filled with a sort of fear.

"Good morning, pretty lady." He cooed towards her, a grin plastered on his face. He was in a personal gym and leaned on the wall next to some barbells.

As her tinge of fear passed, she turned and ran. He was quick to follow her, grabbing her by the waist and clutching her close. She screamed, kicking and throwing back an elbow which hit him pretty hard in the shoulder. He dropped her a little, which gave her ample room to break free and run again.

"Shit! Damn! You weren't this wild last night!" his words only caused her to panic more as she struggled to open some doors, and scampered around in the lingerie she was wearing 'last night.'

"Go away!" she frantically cried out, all before he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to his body. Sango struggled in his grip as he grabbed her by both hands and half carried half dragged her back up to his room. Tossing her inside, he locked and closed the door as she wailed to be freed.

"Please don't do this, Miss…" his pleas were cut out by her slamming into his door and a growl.

After a while, her thudding, stomping, and overall loud temper subsided. Miroku took the time to lean back on the door, waiting for the call.

The doorbell rang and all of a sudden, he could hear her start to yell. "It won't do you any good, sweetie. You can stop it before you hurt yourself." She screamed a little louder out of spite.

Rushing down the stairs and to the front door, he smiled, "I need your girlfriend more than you."

His friend, Inuyasha, rolled his eyes, "Feh. Need to get another woman out of your room?"

"Uhh... this time. I need her to stay." The girlfriend in question popped up with a few clothes and items in her hands. Grinning up at Miroku, her eyes showed her sparkling personality, which shined through no matter what. "I will show you the way, Madame."

She gripped his propped arm with a hand, "With pleasure." She smiled giddily back at her honey who turned away, stalking behind them.

He led Kagome inside and up the stairs to the door. The woman inside had stopped screaming and with that time, he quickly began to open the door, and swung it open. "Hey there," she threw a lamp at him, which crashed on the wall behind him as he moved behind the door for safety. He moved his hand in a shooing motion, begging Kagome to get in the room and she quickly does just that. He stood at the door as, down stairs, Inuyasha yelled in displeasure. Miroku rolled his eyes as he stomped downstairs, leaving the door closed.

* * *

Kagome walked up closer to the frazzled girl with a simple smile. The room looked a mess. "Hey." The auburn haired girl was still a bit on edge, but calmed down a little more in the other woman's presence. That was normal in Kagome's presence. "I'm here to get you cleaned up. Give you better clothes than what you've got on—help you out a little more, you know?"

Sango sat down on the bed, scrunching her hands up in her lap. Her hands quickly went up to grasp her shoulders, hugging her body close. "Why am I here?" Her voice came out in a tiny whisper.

The other woman smiled slightly, "You'll have to ask Miroku. I don't know the story well enough to tell you." She offered her hand, putting the clothes down on the bed. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

The girl put her hand in the older woman's, moving towards the bathroom in the room to get cleaned up. Things in here were also thrown around and chucked all over. They decided to wash just her face and hair, taking off the makeup and washing out all the curls. They used a towel nearby—that was not thrown on the ground—to dry her hair and pat her face.

Turning around, Kagome handed Sango the clothes she got for her—those being jeans, a bra with a price tag, and a dark green shirt. During the changing session, which Kagome turned around for, she spoke with the girl.

"Who are you and how do you know the guy?" The kidnapped asked.

"Kagome. I'm a friend of his. We've known each other for a while after one of Miroku's jobs."

The girl slipped the shirt on, pressing her for more questions, "Why are you here?"

"He needed a woman to help another woman out, you know. Get you comfortable to talk." Kagome paused, and pressed the woman for one question, "What is your name?"

There was a long pause, and the sound of pants being shuffled on, along with the ending zip. "Sango."

* * *

"So you found the girl, stole her, and brought her to your house because she's special? What the fuck is wrong with you?" His silver haired friend stared at him incredulously.

"Shut up, Inuyasha. You know how it is. Don't tell me you regret meeting Kagome." The other man turned away, mouthing a few curse words.

The two ladies came downstairs. The other unknown girl entered looking down at the ground, hiding behind the black haired woman named Kagome. Sango's hair was slightly curled and wet as she stared between the new male and the male from before. Her lips stayed sealed.

Kagome turned and grabbed the younger girl's shoulder, pushing her forward with a grin. "This is Sango." The younger female did turn and granted the other female a heated glare, turning her gaze to the ground in silence. She was then dragged to a seat, the other women standing beside her, as the dark haired male cleared his throat, preparing the miniature story.

Miroku looked straight at Sango, his face serious, "Do you know what happened last night?" the girl frowned, shaking her head. "You have been a prize. Highest bidder gets a kiss and then they are granted a power." Her faced changed, going from well put together to confused, almost like she was about to cry. Her mouth opened, but Miroku quickly continued with his story, "I think you were drugged. I also know that Naraku has something to do with his, do you know him?"

She looked down at the ground, "I've known him for as long as I could remember." She nearly whispered the last part, "He takes care of me. I don't—at least my dreams make sense now."

Kagome grasped the younger girl's hands, "We're going to try and protect you. We may be young, but I trust these two."

She stared back at Inuyasha with quite the soft smile, which caused him to blush, he responded with "Feh."

* * *

They took her out to eat, she had been given the low-down on what to expect. She did not know what their profession was, and she was not interested enough to ask with all she had recently learned about herself and her life.

They were currently in the mall, Sango, whose age came out to be seventeen—almost eighteen—was acting almost like a child. She belonged to a very rich family, and the news about her disappearance had not gotten out at all. It was odd, considering she was taken from a secret meeting full of high profile people and that she was the heir to a multimillion dollar corporation. Despite all that, she was not well known.

Her finger pointed out at a window that spelled out ice-cream in an arc. They all went in, getting themselves a cone with double scoops. They exited into a crowd where Sango split from the rest, walking a little too fast from the rest of the three.

Sango skipped along, the days with them had been fine, everything was fine. She was pulled off to the side where a hand quickly covered her mouth. It was a man unknown to her, Kouga, and he pressed her against the wall, holding his body against hers. The man's voice came out in a harsh, scratchy low voice. Her eyes stared off to the side as he grinned, his eyes gaining a reddish tint, "Found you."


	2. Withdrawn

**There were sooo many spelling mistakes. I'm surprised it could be read.**

**Revised chapter. ****(6/6/2011)**

**Chapter 2 :: Withdrawn**

* * *

Sango's breathing was off and scattered, the ice-cream she just got was dashed on the ground. Her eyes scanned Kouga's face, the floor, his shoes. Her eyes welled up with tears as she gripped his arm, desperately trying to pull it off her mouth.

_Why did no one notice?_

He leaned in, her head tilting back on the wall, his face almost brushing against hers. "I need you to be a good girl and—," Sango pushed his hand down quickly move, roughly grabbing his flesh between her teeth before she bit down hard, eliciting a stifled yell from the man. This caused him to lose the grip he held and was the perfect opportunity for her escape.

The young woman shot her leg out, kicking him between the legs to further incapacitate her captor as she skittered off to the side running to her freedom. The two men, Miroku and Inuyasha, were on him in a second as she escaped. Kagome trailed behind Sango for what protection she could give. The older woman's mouth said _'Run_,' so she did. She ran far. She ran fast. She ran away… again.

Her legs beat, arms pounding beside her as she pushed through the crowd at the mall, giving small pardons to everyone she hit. Sango's breathing was off kilter, her face a wreck as she darted this way and that, reaching the end of the mall and the last of her ropes.

_How did they know?_

Her steps slowed and her body slumped over as her chest started to burn in pain. The auburn haired girl staggered towards a restroom, slipping inside and going to the farthest stall in the back. She stayed in the handicap stall, locking the door and sitting on the toilet, hands pressed to her temple as she desperately tried to regain her scattered thoughts and staggered breath.

_Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn._

* * *

Kouga was roughly hit by the silver haired man, a small crowd seeming to gather by the trio as the failed kidnapper slid across the floor a bit. He stood to his feet, wiping the small amount of blood that appeared on his face from the punch.

"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha spat at him, his hand clenched at his side in preparation for another swing.

The dark haired man just grinned, running forward as if to rush into his opponent, but instead, Kouga bolts through the crowd. He was quick, so fast, in fact, that there was no trace of him in the immediate area. There were gasps and whispers around as Miroku pulled his angered friend back towards his frame, whispering near his ear.

"We have to find the girls. I don't think he's through with us yet." The silver man nodded, rushing with his friend to look for the other two.

* * *

She sat there, huddled up in the bathroom for what felt like forever. Her breathing had calmed down until she heard the door open. Sango's heart sped up a few beats while she tried to reason with herself that it was normal—it was a bathroom, after all.

The steps came closer to her position, pushing on her stall. Her eyes went wide, her feet slowly lowered themselves to the sleek floor as she prepared to bolt one again.

"Sango?" The voice was sweet, familiar, feminine—Kagome's.

The younger girl rushed to the door, opening it to see just who she expected. "Where is he?"

"He's with the boys, don't worry." Kagome grabbed the younger girl's hand as they both whisked themselves out the bathroom. Kagome peeked out the bathroom, looking both ways before exiting the semi-safe confines of the female restroom, her 'tail' following behind with no questions asked. They prepared themselves, going towards the exit.

With little warning, Sango was pushed to the ground hard. Her palms turned red as she gripped the tile floor, stopping a fall face first into the floor. She opened her mouth in protest before seeing her newfound protector held in a tight grip, her mouth covered, and her arms pinned against her body. Sango failed to find her words for a few seconds before slowly coming to a stand, staring with quite the heated intensity.

Her voice was soft, wavering. They were in a sheltered part of the mall where there weren't many people, so her quiet voice carried in the abandoned portion. "Let her go."

The man looked his prize over in his arms, chuckling and tossing his head back. His dark hair fell in waves, tied up in a ponytail as he grinned back at his target. "She looks pretty, maybe I'll keep her for myself."

Kagome's eyes went wide with fear as he spoke. Her legs looked like jelly as if she wished to collapse to her knees out of fright. "You can have me. That's what you want, right?" Sango tried to bargain with him, hoping to get something to go her way. At her words, the bound woman seemed to glare, shaking her head fervently in disapproval.

"Or maybe I could keep both? You caught me off guard last time around, but I won't allow it this time." Kouga seemed to twist Kagome's head, almost as if he was about to snap her neck before he chucked her body against a wall. Her body fell limp as she slumped face first on the floor.

This move elicited a large shriek from Sango, "Kagome!"

Kouga rushed at the now unguarded heiress, grabbing her arm in the blink of an eye. He was too fast. Her hand shot out to punch him in the face, but he swiftly grabbed her wrist. With her body now fully facing his, she kicked at him, but he tossed her down before she could even land it.

Sango was a fighter and would not let his job be that easy. She got up, only for him to strike her hard in the stomach, all in a matter of seconds. She crumpled to the ground, grabbing her abdomen in pain as her brown locks spilled over her shoulders and she doubled over, collapsing to her knees. Her long brown hair splayed itself on the ground before her—she was that close to the ground. Her shoulders quivered while she fought back the tears—she was in so much pain right now.

* * *

Inuyasha stopped running and looked up, "I know where they are." Running up the stairs, he made a few turns down a long, nearly deserted hallway. What they came upon were two wounded girls: one who lost the struggle and the other who was quickly losing hers.

"Hey!" Miroku sprinted towards the speedy man who, by then, leaned in and picked Sango up by her arm. The violet eyed man stopped in his tracks, staring forward with both his hands clenched at his sides. Sango's eyes slowly gleamed out from beneath her matted hair, but she did not move much or at all. Her legs were not supporting her weight, and the only thing that kept her slightly up was the fast man's firm grip and hold.

Inuyasha had taken the time to get closer to Kagome. Once he reached her side, he checked her pulse, leaning in to hear her breathing. She was fine. He stood up, growling. "Why don't you fight us, you piece of shit?"

The dark ponytailed man looked behind him, a little caught off guard that the silver haired man was there. "Maybe I will. You both look like losers anyway." He disappeared, ending up a couple feet back with cradled Sango in his arms. He laid her on the ground far away from them all before he vanished again.

The two buddies looked around before Inuyasha was punched in the face, much like what he had done previously to the other man. Their opponent appeared in the center of the room, and before he could make another move, Miroku removed the beads from his hand, revealing the large vortex opening up and pulling anything in its path inside. The man did not see this coming as his feet slid in closer to the void. Inuyasha held onto Kagome tightly, gripping the handle on the door, even though he was a little bit out of the way and was not getting the full effect. Sango's body, on the other hand, was drawn closer and closer with each passing second.

Kouga ran, gaining some distance before escaping as Sango was swept right up in the air—she having been knocked out by now—all before she was carefully caught by Miroku. The beads fell around the hole just in time, closing off his 'gift' while he stumbled back from his catch. As both men held onto one woman, their stalker and captor fumed, glaring at the man holding his target—he then left without a word.

* * *

Sango awoke on a soft surface. Her hands brushed the linens on the bed while her eyes fluttered open to meet the day—but she was met with darkness instead. Her eyes got used to the room with no light and she soon came to realize that she was lying in a very familiar place. Her eyes glanced towards the door, there were loud noises that came from downstairs and one voice in particular seemed to be seething with anger—anger she couldn't validly compare to anything she's heard in her life.

As she reached the bottom step, the sound took on the form of Inuyasha's rough voice. She rounded the corner, holding her back against the wall as he yelled at Miroku, while a weary Kagome sat on the couch trying to calm him down to the best of her abilities.

"What about Kagome's safety, or my safety, or even your safety? Why do you want to risk your life for some girl you don't even know?" The silver haired man continued to shout at Miroku, berating him on his actions for protecting her.

Sango stood, her hands clenched at her heart, her feet wobbly, her head weary, her lips chapped and looking for moisture. She unconsciously licks them, keeping the bottom one in her mouth for a few seconds longer than the top.

Miroku answered back calmly, "I don't know, but we can't leave her. It's not right."

Kagome nodded from her seat, pressing a hand to her temple as if she had a migraine. "She's a sweet girl. She didn't ask for this, and _I'm_ fine. _I_ can take care of _myself_." She nearly spat the last part at him, sending him a heated stare with narrowed eyes, her black hair framing her face to make it look even more sinister.

"Feh. Whatever. Don't come cryin' to me when you get hurt." The silver haired man walked away, noticing the slight shadow from the corner that led up to Miroku's room. "She even listens in unannounced."

Sango shrieked back just a little at the words, Miroku having already walked over and looked at her shrunken form in the small stairway. "You can come out. Most of us won't bite." He sent a small look towards Inuyasha, who looked away with his arms crossed over his chest.

The phone rang, and everyone stared at it for a few moments until it rang again. Miroku sighed, standing up and walking over to the device, picking it up and listening in. "Hello? Ahh… Jiro, how nice to hear from you again…"

* * *

They drove up in two separate cars, stopping at Jiro's little shack of a home. The man cautiously peered out, grinning wildly to the group. He waved a hand at the four, "Come in. Come in." He took a long, sidelong glance at Kagome and Sango with a grin. Inuyasha glowered at Jiro, "And Inuyasha! It has been a while!" His greeting held a sort of false harmony to it.

Once everyone was shuffled into his home, Jiro flipped on the lights. The place was dingy with an odd, horrid stench in the air. They were all directed towards a couch, which looked worn with old age—the white seeming to have taken on a pale yellow color over the years.

Sango and Kagome took a seat, the latter scrunched her body into a smaller, less space taking form. She tried to touch as little of the seat that she possibly could. Both the girl's faces were set in an unmistakable frown that seemed to mask the rest of their features.

The men stood on either side of the couch, Inuyasha's arms crossed at his chest, and Miroku's hands hung at his sides, save for the wrapped and beaded one.

They all drank in the silence, keeping it up for as long as they possibly could, however, Sango was the first to break it.

"What do you know about my condition?" Her voice was meek and somehow alluring.

The brown haired man nodded, remembering what he called them all here for. "Well, you see. You're special. Your body is a tomb that holds immense power—not for you but for others. You create wonders in people that they could have never imagined or dreamed of. With training, of course, they can keep those powers under control, but you… you are quite the catch."

With each word said, he seemed to slip a little closer to her form, all before he nearly touched her face. Sango quickly smacked his hand and backed away from him, sinking deeper into the horrible couch. He frowned, taking a few steps back. Sango was now uneasy.

"Stop fucking around and get to the point." It was Inuyasha who said something, all their eyes moving to his tall form. Jiro turned around, grabbing a box off a tiny table behind him. He handed it to the young woman.

"Your answers and more are in there. I left a few papers for you to read."

The brunette carefully took it giving the man a tiny smile. They got what they came for, and as Inuyasha walked towards the exit, they left just as fast.

Jiro eerily waved to the group as they left and drove away in their cars.

A woman's voice slowly came alive in the background. "So you gave them the bait?"

Jiro nodded as he closed his door, turning the lights off so he was once again swathed in darkness. "So I will be able to get a kiss—to..to gain power?"

A thin black line glinted in the little bit of brightness that passed in from the outside. It was floating dangerously close his face before it turned. Many black strands of hair appeared and constricted his face. Small trickles of blood formed on his face and began to drip across his cheeks. Jiro's eyes went wide and glassy as he tried to speak through the pain. "Y-Y-You promised."

The woman walked up, pushing a finger out which swiped across his face and smeared blood across his cheek, back towards his ear. It was a dainty move, meant to be sweet, but in the current circumstance's it was terrifying. She laughed, "I promised you a kiss." She leaned in, pressing her lips against his, "—and power. As my puppet, you will be powerful."

His eyes watered, his body tensed, and the strands of hair grew, piercing him through his stomach, leaving a large hole in his center. Blood pooled in the dark area, dripping in mass amounts along the ground. His hands twitched and his head rose. Jiro's once lively eyes were filled with nothing, a brown ring forming around his pupils as death overcame his body. The hair that was used to kill him seemed to meld into his body, causing him to stand—the grip she had on his face still left marks akin to being lacerated, but he still stood as if to challenge his death.

His mouth moved, forming the words that proved the being before her was now just a minion to do her very bidding. "I will do as you command, Yura." The stench in the room grew, as another dead body joined the mix.

* * *

The dark haired woman leaned forward on the dashboard, staring out at their home. "I don't trust that man." She looked over at the golden eyed man, "I don't trust that box. I think she's in danger."

Inuyasha leaned back, listening to her words, his hands still on the wheel as he stared forward into the night. Her words were met with silence as he sat and thought out in the cool night.

"I like her," the woman's words came out quietly, painfully, "I don't want her to die, Inuyasha. Doesn't she deserve a chance at happiness, too?"

The man groaned beside her, reaching into his pocket. He gruffly stated, "I'll call." A small cell phone was flipped up towards his ear as Miroku's number tones dialed ran in the background.

Kagome smiled from her place next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder as she mouthed a '_thank you_,' her eyes closing as he spoke.

* * *

Miroku walked back towards Sango on the couch. She was staring at the box with such determination.

"Inuyasha called to say that we shouldn't open it, courtesy of Kagome." He plopped down next to her on the couch.

She frowned, never taking her gaze off the object, "Why not?"

He shrugged. She could clearly see the movement out of the corner of her eyes.

"It's not like you've opened it yet. You couldn't have wanted to know that badly."

"But I do!" She sighed, plopping it down beside her and leaning back. "I want to know so much, but I'm unsure…" She pouted, walking towards the door to his home, opening it into the night, and tossing it out on the front lawn for everyone to see. "Now I won't be tempted," she grumbled, stomping off back to the room she grew to claim as her own.

* * *

The next morning there was no box on the front lawn, perhaps it was picked up by some passerby—it did not really matter because whatever chance they had of knowing what laid inside was now gone. Sango stood at the door for a good, long while, frowning and staring outside as if it would appear again.

This morning they would all be going out, and Miroku handed her new clothes to wear: pants, shirt, and a cap—all to give her the appearance of a male. She tried them on, and they were very baggy—seeing as the man who owned them was taller than her.

She eased downstairs after getting dressed and did a little circle once she made it to the middle of the room. Her long brown hair was tied up in a bun, stuffed under the cap and flattened several times. "How do I look?" The cap covered her face perfectly, hiding most of her feminine features from view.

"Wonderful. Like the brother I always wanted." He chided in jest. His smirk told the truth as he extended his hand courteously. She smacked it with her own.

"Keep treating me like a petite young girl. If you continue that kind of talk, this costume will work out perfectly." Her sarcasm dripped off of every word said.

He placed a hand to his heart, "I would never, dear lady Sang—," he was cut off by her.

"Kohaku. Use that name." She looked down with a frown afterwards, "I've always liked it." Her last few words came out slowly, as if there was some hidden meaning—though the male in the room with her never asked about it.

"Very well then. Shall we be on our way?" She nodded, moving towards his door and exiting. He shut it behind her and locked the place down.

* * *

The group of four took the subway, finding that their cars might be used against them to track their movements. They were all mostly separate, standing around the young girl in some way or another in case someone might jump out at them as a group.

The train came to a stop as people got up and out. It was so full that most of them had to stand—just like Sango had. She was close to the doors and a window, staring out, being able to see the two boys of their group on either side of her, a few people over, from the glass's reflection.

It was boring, she slumped, holding onto the hand rail above as her body moved along with the others' around her. It was almost calming and it almost made her forget before she felt a hand on her hip—maybe for support—but it was an unwanted feeling. She shoved it off, leaning away and moving in even closer to the window if she could. It seemed to happen again, but this time the hand jerked off of her by its own will once Kagome screamed. The older was wiping off her shirt with both hands.

Everyone turned to look at the dark haired woman as a small spider fell to the ground before her and was dutifully smashed beneath a leather toe by a stranger. She blushed and gave a thank you—it was the perfect time for Sango to scoot farther away, bumping into people with small, forcefully gruff excuses.

Their ride came to a stop and they all filled off, the young brunette was farther away from her companions than she had hoped for. At the very instance she went to jolt towards them, she felt someone grab her hand. Her eyes were downcast, helping to cover her face.

Where the feeling of human flesh from a hand should have been was, instead, replaced by a fuzzy feeling—one that pricked her palm and caused her immense pain. As much as she wished do voice her displeasure on the matter, it decided to stop working when she needed it most. The voice that came from the being felt sinister and gave her the chills.

"Go towards the silver haired man and bring me the girl… meet me in the back tunnel."

She felt no need to comply, but assumed she should play along. With her voice still broken from fear she nodded in response and once the immense pain left—the appendage that was touching her hand had removed itself—she ran towards the desired bunch.

She grabbed Miroku's shirt, looking up at him. "Someone is here! We have to go!" Her whisper was loud enough for him to know that it was urgent.

Inuyasha gave them both an odd look before the situation explained itself through his buddy's firm features. They all began to bolt until a few screams got them to turn from the direction Sango just ran from.

On the ground there was a sea of black that seemed to be moving in their direction. People scattered and ran out of the area as fast as they could. The little creatures happened to be spiders, and there were plenty of them.

The creepy male man from before was in the middle of all the commotion. People continued to scream as they all tried to rush out of the subway to the best of their abilities. Many people were trapped inside because it was taking just too long to get out, or they were trampled by others in the mess.

Miroku and Inuyasha decided after some time to push the girls behind them and stand their ground, preparing for a fight. Many people did not look their way as Miroku brought his hand up, holding it directly in front of his face. Dropping the beads—of which he still used—where the void began to suck in all that was there before them.

Many of the spiders were swept up in the mist and pulled inside to never be seen again, leaving only a few remaining morsels and people strewn closer across the ground. He closed it in time, not wanting to hurt any innocents in the area.

The man in the middle hunched forward, his beige trench coat doing little to hide the growing bulge on his back. His face peeked out through the hood he had at the top. He had the appearance of a robust, bald man. His coat exploded as eight furry, black legs splurged out of his back and landed on the ground. His body, however big it was, was being carried by the weight of these spindly things. He moved fast across the ground, taking the weak that were pulled in close and lurching forward to feed off their bodies.

His monstrous frame ripped apart some of those who could not get away, leaving some bodies, a few huddled people, and the four down in the subway docking area to fend for themselves.

Inuyasha did not even look back as he quietly spoke to the two women behind him, "Run."

As if the newly created monster knew what was said he knocked down booths and slammed whatever he could hard into the only real exit that existed, half way blocking them off from the world.

His voice came out in a sinister squeal, "Why did you test me, boy?" He stared straight at Sango.

Miroku piped up, "Kohaku, Kagome, I need you both to stay back."

The male name further confirmed for the monster that the capped figure was, indeed, a male.

Inuyasha began to change in his own way. His fingernails elongated and his stance grew wider as he posed and waited for the man to attack. There was a small, lingering question itching in the back of Sango's mind, but she dared not ask as she and Kagome ran deeper into the subway and closer to where the wall and the tram's track lines met.

The creature sliced at the air with a spindly leg, hoping to catch the two men at a low point. Inuyasha swept up and sliced at the human spider creature's stomach, causing a few faint lines to expose his skin. He was fast.

The bald man laughed, raising several large legs to stomp on the ground as Miroku came up from underneath with a knife, stabbing one with his hidden weapon. The bald creature squealed in pain, knocking the ebony haired man back and onto his bottom, where he clutched his abdomen for a short while before shakily getting back to his feet.

Inuyasha jumped up again after his friend was injured and prepared to swipe at his opponent's face before a human woman was quickly pulled in the way as a shield. He missed on purpose, cursing aloud as he skidded across the ground, landing behind the creature. His prey screamed, wiggling in the hairy grasp that was the spider's leg.

The changed man grinned, "You did not think it would be that easy?"

The captured woman's yells intensified as the appendage seemed to grip her body tighter. Miroku and Inuyasha felt like they were on pins and needles trying to get her free.

Right before the women made it to the wall, a man came up and grabbed onto Kagome's arm, doing his best to pull the girl along with him. She kicked and hit, as did Sango, but the latter was shoved harder. This gave Kagome the opportunity to punch the man in his groin. He hobbled away, crawling towards the blocked exit nearby. Sango stumbled back and fell on her butt near the track lines, causing her cap to fall off and her messy hair to show itself in full.

The spider creature looked, quickly tossing the unknown human woman towards a wall as he began his fast paced trek towards their fallen ally.

Miroku ran and caught the bystander before she hit the ground. "Shit! Inuyasha!" His silver haired friend ran straight towards the spider.

"She's here!" It squealed, closing the distance between it and its prize.

Kagome had quickly gathered Sango up, pulling her along beside the tracks in hopes to find an escape.

Inuyasha, who was still behind the creature leapt forward, slashing off one of the legs, crippling the creature and causing it to fall to the ground in a loud thud. The chubby human part of the spider pushed up on his arms and legs, reaching out for Sango's figure a mile away.

He quickly turned, hoping to dispatch the silver haired man as he came even closer to his position, one leg rising up to grab him, however his luck turned for the worse as that leg, too, was chopped off. Red blood spurted out of this one like the last, covering the ground in a thick ooze.

Inuyasha proceeded to rip each and every one of the legs from the spider's back, causing a deafening scream to fill the area as he tossed each limp leg off to the side.

Miroku quickly made his way over to his violent friend's side, breathing deeply and giving him a firm stare. He looked at the pitiful man before him, whose back was littered with blood and eight, disgusting deep, dark red holes where some legs were ripped from. "Who sent you? Who are you?"

The man giggled, his laugh taking on an eerie pitch. "Do you think she remembers my kiss, or yours?" He coughed, "We know. We are drawn. We will get her back… what gives you the right to have her all to yourself?"

Miroku growled, pressing his foot into the man's bleeding and wounded back. Inuyasha stood by and watched, waiting for the abomination to try something new. "Who sent you?"

"More of us will come… Miroku. We know all about you now." He started to giggle again right before Inuyasha pressed his boot onto his throat. The man choked and gargled while blood began to drain out of his mouth.

"That's enough. Let's go." Miroku started to walk in to the girl's direction.

Inuyasha left his foot there a moment longer, pressing it in deeper before walking off to follow his comrades.

* * *

Sango and Kagome ran for a while coming across a door, to which they posted their backs along and stood flat against.

Through heavy and labored breaths, Sango shook her head. "I can't do this anymore. There's too much… just too much going on."

Kagome grabbed her shoulders, trying to look the brown eyed girl straight in the eyes, "What? Are you going to go back and create _more_ of those… _monsters_? Tell me, do you feel better knowing nothing about your life?"

Sango looked away without an answer.

"Everyone is fine. I'm fine… a few people got hurt," she bit her bottom lip, "—but that's to be expected when God knows how many of those things are running around. Get a grip."

The brunette nodded, her messy bun freeing some loose strands of hair. "Okay."

* * *

They had all walked back home in silence and separated before getting too close to each other's houses. Sango was sent off with Kagome and Inuyasha for a few hours as Miroku had 'business he had to take care of.' To the teenager, this meant he had no time for her or was trying to get rid of her to the best of his abilities.

Their house was cozy, nicer to be in than Miroku's. It had a livelier feel to it. It was certainly bigger, with a more comfortable couch to sit on a few rooms past the entrance. There she sat in silence, waiting for something to happen.

Kagome brought her dinner and gave her a smile, handing her the remote at one point. She was allowed to watch the TV that sat directly across from her. It was large and old and sat on a stand. The noise filled the air while she picked at her food, taking small pieces at a time. It was not like she really was looking or listening in on her entertainment, it was just nice to have some sound going on around her.

After she finished eating and after the darkest hour, the brown haired girl found her peace on the couch, resting with her legs draped over the edge and her arms crumpled together beneath her head as a pillow. The light from the TV illuminated her face, casting glares along her nose and forehead before a hand turned the screen off, brushing a lock of her hair away from her face with a cherishing hand that soon caressed her warm cheek. The hand trailed from her face to her shoulder and lightly shook her out of her dreams, her eyes blinking the sleep away as she stared up into a violet dream.

"Huh?" Her voice came out in a grumble, low and uneasy. Her head slowly turned to take in the unfamiliar surroundings before it all came back to her.

"We have to go." His hand strayed from her shoulder to cup her tender face, moving to rest on her elbow. Miroku carefully pulled her up, reaching another arm beneath her slender frame.

She eased into his grip, coming to a stand on her own as she slowly pulled away from his grasp. Her eyes looked behind her at the wall, and all around until she met the hallway, and then to a door she was told lead to Kagome and Inuyasha's room.

"Are they up?" she mused aloud, turning her wondering eyes back to his face in the darkness.

He shook his head. His locks a mess as he took her hand in his and lead her towards the door. "We have to go. I'll explain on the road."

That was when she noticed the large backpack he was wearing and she was now more aware than ever. She knew what was happening and she could understand why.

They were leaving for safer grounds. To protect their friends.

He grabbed her hand and she let him, calmly following him out the door without a word or a second thought. The man quietly opened the door, tacking a note upon its frame before shutting it, and without even looking back, they were gone.

_Goodbye, you two._

* * *

There was no car to take. The walk felt like it was taking forever, her legs burned, but she did her best not to complain as she trailed behind him, her hands wrinkled up in the folds of her shirt. She had just another possibility at life to go back on the lam with the man that stole her away from her nightmares.

"Where are we going?" Her voice said she was out of breath, but when Miroku looked back at her, she did her very best to hide that fact, her face holding a more stern look to it.

"Anywhere. Anyplace." He was quiet for a few seconds, deciding to give her a better answer, "We are going someplace low-key. I know a tiny bar nearby."

_Nearby. How close was this nearby? _

It was not very nearby. In fact, Sango was so tired, so worn out, and so hot to the touch that Miroku had to carry her on his back the rest of the way. She inwardly whined. Her face set in a frown as he placed her down in front of the place.

The man was about to walk in before she grabbed his hand, pulling him with what little strength she had to look her in the eye. "Why are you doing this?" He was silent for a very long time as she looked up, trying to read his face—she knew it was useless—he could hide his emotions better than her. "Money? Sex? Power?" The last word caused him to flinch as he pulled his hand away.

The black haired man shook his head, leaning down so they were at eyelevel. "None of that. It's just… I don't know… Something in me says I should." He stood back up, pushing open the door for her, "Let's go."

The answer wasn't enough, and he knew it, but she let it slide as they entered the busy establishment.

They both held hardened face, though Miroku's changed as he walked straight up to the bar, grabbing hands with someone behind the counter. The man had a long, scraggly, orange beard. His laughter was big and his arms were just as big if not larger.

"It's been a while!" The man said, his belt of laughter coming out once again.

The two seemed to talk, Miroku leaning in to speak in hushed tones with his friend. Many people turned to look at her and the green eyed fellow began to nod before giving the thief a toothy grin and a large pat on the back. The man slid to the left of his counter as Sango quietly walked up to that opposite area.

"What's happening?" she leaned on the bar, looking back at Miroku and over to where the larger man wondered off to.

With obvious sarcasm, he said, "It's time for sex." Before he could get out a laugh, she punched him square in the shoulder with all her might. Miroku winced, bawling over the counter and gasping, "Damn! I was kidding!"

Sango covered her mouth, "Sorry! I didn't think it'd be so hard!"

The man walked over, hearing the last bits of their conversation and said nothing, handing Miroku the keys to the room he ordered. The two scampered off upstairs. There were not many rooms, three in total, and their door was on the right.

He opened it and was met with one bed, a chair and a desk with a lamp on it. It didn't seem to be too dusty, but the paint was peeling on the walls as they all walked in.

Sango rubbed her arm self-consciously and before she could ask or think about getting a word out, Miroku plopped himself down on the chair, "You get the bed. You'll need the rest. We have quite a morning ahead of us."

She scuffled towards the bed and sat down, hearing loud squeaks as if the bed was about to give at any moment. She laid back down on it, staring up at the ugly, cracked ceiling above her. "Will I see them again?"

His answer was abrupt. "Yes." He was unsure and kept things simple.

"Do you think more people will die because of me?" Her words came out quietly, barely above a whisper.

There was no answer for quite some time, and she was about to pass out before he asked her a question. "Do you miss your family? Do you want to go back?"

Her answer came quickly. "I miss my brother and my father, but they're no longer there."

"Your mother?"

She paused, "She is—," Sango sat up, "—she is my mother, I guess. I—I guess no."

Miroku mhmmed in the darkness and answers her previous question, "I do, but I will try to change that."

She slumped down in the bed, curling up on the pillow.

* * *

She awoke to being pushed off the bed, thumping along the ground.

So much for a goodnight's sleep!

It was daylight outside—that much she was sure of by the light peeking in through the crappy curtains on the adjacent wall. Two men were in her room, one staring directly at her with a glare as she quickly got to her feet. They had splotches all over them with a lobster tan and patches of white skin. They wore everyday clothes and looked very similar in her half-awake state of mind. There was a loud commotion downstairs.

"What's going on?" She asked in a fervent whisper towards the two.

They both began to roll up the bed sheets, tying everything together as they walked out the room. The closest one to her spoke, "There's some people here. They is shootin' up the whole damn place looking for somebody."

"Who is it?" She grabbed the wall as she stood up.

"Dunno, but I'm gonna take all's I can get!" With that he was gone.

There was a shot again and Miroku soon appeared at her door, looking frazzled with a wary grin. "Good. You're awake." An older blonde haired woman walked in, her clothes looked a little too small for her as she waved to the younger girl in the room. "Follow Raina, dear, and she'll get you to where you need to be."

The blonde woman, named Raina, walked in and snatched Sango's hand up with a giddy smile, despite the pressing situation downstairs.

Before Sango was pulled directly out the door, she managed to ask a large, pressing question in her mind, "What about you?"

"I'll be there. I promise." He dashed back downstairs.

She took his word as she was led into the room on the left. The door was swung open and the skimpily dressed females shut and locked the door behind her. Raina slammed her foot down on the floor. "Hey! Company!" She moved her foot back and a small underground compartment opened up. "Get in." Raina's voice was calm and sultry, "We'll have you dressed up in no time."


	3. Shades

**Rated M for bad language and poor fight scenes. **

**Chapter 3 :: Shades**

* * *

Sango grabbed the small stairway on the side and slid down into the hole. It was well lit, and she was met by a bunch of smiling female faces. They all seemed to be looking her over in wonder, commenting on her wardrobe, her face, her hair—and then Raina came down, her blonde locks bouncing with happiness.

Raina clapped her hands together, whisking her arm across Sango's shoulder and pulling her in close. "We have a show to do, ladies! Let's get into costume!" She shoved her hands in the air as the other girls squealed in delight.

Sango's head was spinning. There were gunshots downstairs, she was sure of it. People came into her room and told her so, but they were preparing for a show. The young girl sat down on a chair out of the way as the women began to strip, getting into their show outfits and doing their makeup and hair.

One of the girls, a dark skinned lady with gorgeous hazel eyes walked over, pointing in Sango's direction. "And that one?"

Raina glanced over, sending a pout in the seventeen-year-old's direction. "Get her some clothes. She's coming with us."

Her words sparked a massive wave in the group. Tons of the other girls clomped over in their heels and tight fitting… work clothes to be able to pick and prod at the homely girl in the chair.

"I wanna do her hair!"

"I wanna to do her makeup!"

"Me! I want to do it!"

They fussed and tossed and grabbed the brunette, picking out clothes and doing her hair and painting her face. Sango, despite her pleas, was not listened to and was forced to participate in their show.

She was dressed up in a way similar to all the rest. They were all wearing a baby blue color; her hair was curled and dropped around her face, as a peacock type crown sat on her head. It was small but it was odd. Her clothing attire consisted of something that reminded her of a bikini, except with more dangles and the bottom looked more like a skirt, at her request. The rest of the girls wore what looked more like a bikini bottom and bounced around giddily.

At Sango's apprehension of the moment, some of the girls came up, giving her a hug and a glass of some juice to calm her nerves. She took it, willing to try and use anything to help her feel better. In fact, she took a few more glasses, feeling the sting of this juice a little eye opening.

The blonde bounced over to Sango's side, twining her arm inside hers before leading the young girl out to the stage. "Come on, girls! Let's give them a show to remember!" The others began to string their arms together and lined up, beginning to file out into the open light after a few short twists and turns.

As the lights of the stage pooled out over the girls, Sango strained to see, blinking a few times as she noticed a crowd full of men staring forward. All the girls around her smiled brightly, and Raina even moved her hand in such a way to pinch the young girl into smiling along with the rest of them.

The seventeen-year-old's eyes stared out, noticing the men who took her sheets in the crowd… and sitting on the covers they took. She also took note of the loud popping sounds, which came from a few people in the front holding little objects that they pulled. A large popping sound came out of them. Before she could continue her slow glance around, music started.

The sound was upbeat and all the girls began to sway their hips, Sango moved in sync just in case she was pinched again.

Their legs shot up as the music picked up beat, and they alternated their kicks. Soon enough, the girls broke apart and began to do more intricate dances. Sango was left behind in the back with two other girls who started to spin. It was hard for her to notice anything that was really going on, as whenever she turned to look, something new was happening or she was pulled into a new area.

Very soon, though, her worries seemed to disappear and were replaced by a complete an utter feeling that she could conquer the world—or this stage as the case may have been. Her smile grew larger and her eyes a little brighter as the girls met up one more time in the end to dance in a line, forming a circle with their backs facing the center, to which they dipped their heads back and kicked their feet up from.

As their musical dance number ended, all the women walked up to the front of the stage and waved out to the men, Sango included. Her smile was so bright and her skin just seemed to glow with the sweat that started to cover her body. Being the only skirt wearer was eye catching, and it certainly did catch someone's eye at the bar.

The black haired man that brought her here has his back against the counter, his eyes never once leaving her form as she moved, danced, and waved at the crowd.

"She's quite the lil' cutie, eh?" His orange bearded friend said with a wink.

Miroku sighed, "Yea. She's just so radiant all the time, whenever I see her."

The man chuckled, "You already seem attached."

Right after the larger man spoke, the dancers started to move off the stage, some even being plucked down from their perch by the men in the crowd. Miroku quickly rushed from his position to push his way towards the stage where Sango stood. There were quite a lot of men there, shoving back and making it nearly impossible to reach her. She waved at the end of the stage looking out into the crowd with a simple smile and a giggle. One of the closer men reached out to try and grab her arm, Miroku used a bit of force to push through and slide between some men before getting to the stage. Her eyes immediately lit up ten times brighter than before as she saw him.

Sango knelt down a few more steps back, sitting on her hands and knees as she smiled over at him with a familiar smell radiating from her body. Most of the men seemed to dwindle off and away as they realized she was already 'claimed.'

"Raina!" The blonde popped her head around from her seat on a table with two other men. She hopped off and skittered towards Miroku with a pout.

"What?" Her hands flew to her hips in defense.

"You gave her alcohol?" Sango stared on at the two in confusion, her position exposing her cleavage a little more than she would have wanted in any other situation.

The young girl fell back on her haunches, her legs spreading out to the sides of her as she sat. Her arms were placed in front, with one reaching out to grab onto Miroku's shoulder.

Raina looked shocked, "What else was I supposed to give her to calm her nerves?"

Sango's hands finally reached their destination as she retorted with Raina, "Yeah."

Miroku quickly, pressed his hands against her waist and slid her forward, pulling her of the stage in a twirl as she giddily squealed in pleasure like a little girl. "She's not even legal."

Raina looked down, pointing her high heeled toes inward with the same pout as before. She moved her hands up Miroku's chest in a playful manner, shaking her head back to toss the blonde curls behind her shoulder, "It's ok. Now she's more fun. Besides, it was only two or three… or five drinks or so."

Miroku rolled his eyes and Sango squished herself against him when Raina walked off, his hands absentmindedly grabbed her waist again. She was so soft. He never realized how soft she was before. She was also very friendly with him, which was nice and made him forget slightly as his hands moved down along her waist and to her bottom. He quickly removed his hands from their spot, half pushing her away at the same time.

Her face took on a look of surprise before falling back into the perpetually happy, drunken smile. He leaned in and pulled the feathery crown off her head, she tilted her head back to look, pressing her back in an arch against the stage's rim. She looked to be teasing him, but despite the alcohol, she did seem happy. His plan did look to have worked out for the best.

Miroku took her small hand in his, slightly pulling her up and off the stage. "You should get some sleep." She pulled her hand once, then twice, then a third time before slipping it out of his grasp.

"No." Her reply was simple as she hopped back up onto the stage, scooting back with a grin.

Hr grumbled and walked off, flinging his hand in the air as he conceded, "Fine! Stay up longer in your state!" He made his way back over to the bar. More girls had gotten up on the stage to play with Sango, doing little dances, pulling on each other's clothes, and various other things.

His bartender friend grinned at him as she sat down away from the growing group around the stage, "What's different about her?" He waved off his question, adding a few more things to it, "Not how she looks, either."

Slumped over the bar, sitting his head in his crossed arms. "She asked me something similar before coming here and I wasn't really sure then. She's one of the first people I just want to protect. No ulterior motives, without even really knowing her I just knew I wanted to protect her. I want to see her happy. I want to see her grow up, grow old…"

"Find love?" The scruffy man leaned in, nodding his head. "It's written all over yer face."

Miroku sat in silence, staring ahead, past the man before him, past the wall behind him, just into space as he thought. "I've barely known her." He pushed himself up, staring back over his shoulder as the few men that stayed began to whistle as four girls kicked their legs up high on stage.

As the day wound on into night, the little pub had small busy peaks in the center and Sango began to fizzle out. Miroku let it happen and decided that it might be best for her to come to her own realized that she needed some rest.

The lovely girl sat on the stage, her legs dangling off its edge and her hands poised to the side, holding up her tilted body. She looked weary and tired and this is when Miroku started walking towards her position. At that moment, someone else got up from a table and trekked towards the drowsy girl, grabbing her arm and lightly tilting her face forward to look at him. He wore a cap and fairly baggy clothes, he looked harmless with his black ponytail popping out from the back, but the girl's new protector took no chances.

"Hey!" the man leaned in, as if he was about to kiss Sango and stopped, she struggled a little with no real recognition before sliding or falling off the stage at his feet from her abrupt movements. The man let any hold he had on her go and quickly stalked out the bar, into the street. Miroku got to her just in time, raising her face and looking her arms over. "It's time for you to sleep," he gruffly said and she had no qualms as he hoisted her up in his arms, her head lolling back on his chest.

They moved up the stairs, Miroku having gotten a new room to stay in—the middle—which held the same look and feel as the other. His backpack was already in the room with her when he laid her out on the bed. She smiled, moving her hands up above her head in a stretching motion.

Her lips moved, they were still glossy when she licked her them and spoke, "Today was nice."

It was all he could have hoped for.

"Getting drunk was the last thing I wanted to happen to you." He was standing now, looking down at her form for quite a while before looking away at the wall.

She grinned, turning over and shuffling herself around to pull the thin sheet up ad over her body. He closed the door and locked it before going back downstairs.

A few days passed by, and the two lived in the little building with no real problems. Sango had become a little barmaid, serving the customers with a smile. She did say this was about the closest thing to her first real job—though she was met with no pay. She had made a tiny bond with the other girls who stopped giving her alcoholic beverages and instead took to dressing her up at night when their pub got a little busier. Their words being: if you looked good, you'd get paid good.

Sango, Miroku and the bearded man—now known to her as Saburo—were having a good laugh at the bar. All the customers were fed and were either having a good old time near the stage to watch the dancers, or were sitting at their own tables chattering away.

Four men entered the little bar and they all looked to be high class. It was a wonder why they would come to a place like this with the money it looked like they had. They each appeared in black suits, some with two with white shirts, one with a light blue shirt, and the last with a grayish shirt. The blue shirted man was quite the looker. He had long dark brown hair and an odd reddish eye color. His smile was radiant and— one of the white shirts got up and started walking towards the bar.

Saburo pushed Sango from the bar, waving his hand in the direction of the man. "Go make me some money!" He heavily whispered. Miroku gave him a look, which was granted a hefty laugh by the burly fellow.

Sango quickly began to scamper over, the white shirt having walked back to his seat once he realized that there was service. She reached the table with a smile, her hands tucked away behind her as she asked, "What sort of drinks are you interested in?"

The man in the grey shirt seemed to be staring, his bald head not hiding that fact in the least. She looked away from him and down at her feet as the blue shirt started to speak. "A bottle of brandy," he paused, staring into her eyes for a second. The look made her look away to the stage this time, "How come you're not on stage?"

She shrugged before taking a few steps back, "I'll… go get your glasses and bottle, right away!"

Sango back peddled enough before reaching the bar, asking for the appropriate order and being told the amount she was supposed to receive. In one hand she carefully held each of the four glasses, while in the other, she held onto the already opened, corked bottle of brandy they ordered. Placing the bottle down first and then the glasses down in front of each person, her hand was stopped as she finished in front of the blue shirt.

He held onto it like it was a treasure, fondling her soft fingertips in his grasp before pulling it up to his lips and gracing the back of her hand with a kiss. There was a small shock that happened as he kissed her hand, her eyes seemingly stuck to his. The moment felt like it had been forever, the kiss feeling like it was drawn out much longer than it was supposed to—but in reality, it was short. She let him, no tugging, no nothing, all from her half bent position before she opened her mouth, her voice coming out in a small squeak, "Your total for now is—," he cut her off, pulling one bill out of his pocket and sliding into her already captured hand. She gripped onto it as he let go.

"I think that should be enough and then some." She pulled her arm in close exposing the number on the dollar given to her, only to find out that it had not one, but two zeros after it. This was a lot more than what was needed.

Sango quickly bowed in thanks and walked off to the bar, handing Saburo the cash. He and Miroku looked it over, realizing that the money was very much real. The dark haired man, on the other hand, was not quite thrilled with how it came to be.

"What happened back there? Are you okay?" He pulled her in close by the shoulders and she nodded slowly looking up to him with a small smile.

"It was only a small peck on my hand." She tried to assure him. "He's just some rich guy. I'm fine."

His stare made her feel so small and insignificant. He looked her deep in the eyes and gave her a stern, firm look. "Be careful around those types."

She rolled her eyes and teased him lightly, "How can't I be. I was raised around them." She gave him a wink before he could answer and scampered off towards the stage.

She pushed up on her arms, standing on the tips of her toes in an effort to be at more eyelevel with the standing girls a foot or two from the stage's front. They seem to giggle as Sango's head dives down, her eyes close, her mouth opens and her shoulders jostle a bit.

Miroku turned from his examination of her to the group of men drinking. They were so out of place it was ridiculous, but they all seemed to be talking about something. At one point, the ringleader, he assumed, looked back at Sango, his eyes holding a longing expression as if it had been so long since he last saw her.

Everything seemed to be going fine, that was until a loud, thundering sound rocked the building and the lights went off just as fast. There were small gasps and screams from the girls until the lights slowly flickered back on. Miroku had been looking in the direction Sango was last seen in and, luckily for him, she was still there.

Looking back to the table, the men seemed a little unraveled, and of course, their assumed leader turned to look back for Sango, "Are you girls okay?" The other girls were in the same direction on the stage.

Sango didn't answer, but that didn't stop the other dancers from chiming in with their brilliant smiles, "We're fine!"

Sango was retiring for the night, though and walked towards the bar, gifting Saburo with a dazzling smile.

Miroku decided to _entertain_ the rich guests and walked over to their table with his award winning smile. "Sorry about that. We don't usually have blackouts here." The blue shirt man looked up with an equally charming grin. Miroku tapped his chin with a finger as he looked down at him. "You look familiar." He pointed to the other man, the bald, grey shirt wearing one, "You too."

The man laughed, taking a long sip of his brandy, "We're the Raigekijin brothers. Hiten and Manten."

Miroku shot his finger out at them, waving it in the air in recognition, "The famous computer company. Now I know."

The blue shirt, now known as Hiten, glanced at Miroku's right hand, "Did you injure it?"

A quizzical look planted itself on his features before he realized what he had been talking about. "Oh, this?" He waved his right hand in the air, "It's nothing. Don't even worry about it." He began to walk away, "It was nice talking with you though."

"Wait," Hiten called out, the grin having never left his face as he made a _'come hither'_ movement with his finger. Miroku stood his ground, but did look back at the man. "The girl... our waitress, she's a beautiful thing, isn't she?"

The thief never responded, crossing his arms and waiting to hear the rest—if there was more. He started to walk away again before the man continued.

Hiten's voice was low, but easily understood in the slow, bar night. "She's a wonderful kisser, isn't she?"

Miroku's eyes went wide and his stance took on a more rigid look. He knew what they were here for—and then he heard her scream, her lustrous voice was tinged with fear and he looked away towards the stairs only to barely dodge a chair being tossed at his head. That's when the lights flickered again, and a terror filled the tiny little pub—the dancer's screams starting not too far after the party began.

* * *

Kagome looked stressed, pissed and angry. She was yelling at Inuyasha the entire time, coming up with why they left and all sorts of things. They were in the car, driving towards Jiro's house in case he had any information, all at Kagome's request.

They stopped in front of the dingy house and Inuyasha rapped on the door three times before shouting at the man's name to come open it. Kagome stood behind him with a frown and a look of worry hidden deep in her eyes.

Slowly but surely, they heard the door opened and showed the brown haired man they all knew. He smelled horrible, and his house was even worse as he beckoned them inside. The man looked terrible. His skin was patchy looking with greyed patches. The two stared for a while as they walked in, Kagome slowly raising her hand to cover her nose as she looked out at the house uncomfortably. It was almost just as he left it when they last saw him.

She took to standing by the now closed door—sadly, because it was their only source of fresh air—and Inuyasha delved further into the little shack, preparing to ask the questions.

Once his mouth opened, he could early taste the foul stench that littered the air, his sense greater than Kagome's, but he pushed through all that. "Have you heard from Miroku lately?"

The man shook his head, scratching his arm as if he had a new habit. He grinned oddly and moved around his house. "I haven't heard from them since you all were here." There was something off about him.

Kagome piped up, moving her hand a little ways from her mouth to be better heard, "I think they might be in danger... or something. It's not like him to just run off like that." She looked to Inuyasha for closure on what she had just said. He nodded in agreement. The raven haired girl walked in further, her eyes almost pleading for the man to give them any small clue.

He frowned and looked around, moving closer to Kagome, "I might have a way of finding them." In that very instant, he reached a lunged forward and grabbed her by the neck, threatening to choke the life out of her. Both her hands instantly moved to counteract his pull, she pinned on the ground.

Inuyasha sprang into action, his hand swiping out in a punch at the man's back before pushing inwards on the shirt he wore. There was a large hole. Jiro harshly tossed Kagome to the side, farther into the house where she gasped and gagged for air.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha mused, quickly rushing towards his lover's side before Jiro—the creature lashed out and threw a punch at the silver haired man's side. Inuyasha crumpled inwards, reaching out to grab the man's shirt and pull him down in a gruff move. Little did he know, he also pulled on what was inside the hole. A few long strands of black hair fell out from beneath his shirt as he stumbled forward, but this did not stop him in the least.

Jiro reached in his pocket, pulling out a small knife, he carefully discarded the small, plastic covering it sat in and moved to stab his adversary. It worked, as he got him right in the side from their scuffle. The face on the silver man contorted to one of brief pain before he grabbed the brown haired man by the neck and squeezed with all his might. It elicited nothing more than an open mouth, his tongue flailing out as a large bundle of hair seeped out of his mouth and around Inuyasha's hand.

Kagome, who had gotten back to her feet yelled out her lover's name, grabbing the wall beside her as they continued their fight.

Inuyasha quickly threw the man to the ground, the large trail of hair keeping its hold the entire time. His foot swiftly landed on the man's upper torso, part of it able to feel the gap in his body. Getting a good enough grip on the hair, he pulled the man's head forward and shoved his other foot forward into Jiro's face. A large, sickening crack surrounds the room before the man on the ground goes limp, his neck bent at an awkward angle. The hair lost its grip and slid off, landing on the man's body.

Inuyasha was breathing heavily, forgetting about the small knife in his side as Kagome walked up and briefly touched its hilt.

She whispered, even though they were the only two there, staring down at his body in shock, "He was dead before we even came here." Without a second thought, she jerked the knife out, Inuyasha wincing from the act.

"Shit, woman! A little warning next time!" The knife clattered to the ground as she stared back in the hallway.

"It smells worse back there." She didn't even have to say it, because he walked closer to it, the wound on his side already healing itself at inhuman speeds.

He walked towards a door, holding onto the little round knob before twisting. Inside there were stairs that led to what looked to be a cement floor, but once it was opened, Kagome gagged, perhaps because of the putrid decaying smell or because of the man dead bodies in various states of decomposition strewn all over the place.

The bodies were strung up by black strands of what looked to be hair, and most, if not all of them, were nude and bald.

Kagome obviously couldn't take much more of this and ran outside, puking at the side of the house.

_What the hell happened here?_

The human, inhuman man stared back at her with a frown, his hand rubbing against his side. The wound was already gone.

* * *

Sango was up in the room. Pulling out the backpack, she looked for some clothes, picking out a large shirt and some jeans. The door was locked and closed as she started to change, pulling off the skirt and shirt she wore to work. Once she finally got the top off from over her head, she noticed a box on the pillow.

_Was it there earlier?_

It was a little brown box, the same one she threw out a few days earlier.

_Had Miroku placed it there?_

She eyed it in her underwear, frowning as if he saved it just to toy with her. She tossed the box against the wall and it opened, a small marble fell out and spun on the ground, it stopped and small thin needle like objects struck out of it, shooting along the ground away from her before it beeped once, then twice. Quickly, she started to change, standing p as she pulled the large shirt over her head. In that instant, she heard a familiar voice.

"Boo." She turned to see green eyes with a hint of red. She remembered them changing. It was her ponytailed captor from the mall. He was on the opposite side of the bed with a grin.

Had he always been there?

She didn't stare for too long, Sango bolted for the door which wasn't too far away. Her hands quickly unlatched the door, the long, boyish shirt covering a bit of her legs to give her some privacy. Sango slammed the door behind her, hitting the wall and staring forwards down the stairs as she started to escape.

And then she felt it. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and she screamed at the top of her lungs, tossing her hands against his chest. She scratched and clawed from her position before he grabbed her arms and forcefully pressed her against the wall.

"You looked nice yesterday." She screamed again and yelled for help, he pressed her a little harder against the wall—it was cool, as was the floor in her barefoot appearance. "You messed up our present, too." There was a struggle just beyond the stairs, she could hear it. "Why not just come back home calmly?"

She cried out again, struggling against his hold. Her feet gave out beneath her, but he still held her hands pinned to her back, "You're hurting me." He loosened his grip and she swung her body with all her might towards the stairs.

He held his ground as she slipped out from his grasp, "Shit." The brown haired beauty tumbled down the short steps, feeling a little dazed and out of it before skittering off in just a shirt.

"Miroku!" She yelled, her balance was off as she ran towards him, everyone was yelling and her protector, the man she called out to turned to look at his friend who came out to help in the fight.

"Get her out of here, now!" Before she could even tell what was happening, she was whisked off her feet and a ball of light shot past Saburo as he grabbed her hand and pulled. She was hazy and confused, her head pounding from the fall.

He got her up on the stage, the squealing girls helping as they all went behind the curtains.

Soon, her captor rushed down the stairs with a frown. He was yelled at by name from Hiten, "Get the girl, Kouga!" The speedy man made off in the direction the man pointed, on the stage and to the back.

Miroku did his best to prevent him from getting close by releasing his wind tunnel in a public area. The man called Kouga was drawn back, as were a few other things.

The only business men able to fight now were Manten and Hiten, the other two having already been knocked out by Miroku and Saburo.

The area was empty, everyone had already gotten away and Miroku was now left to his own devices and three men who could probably kill him without a second thought.

The ugly, younger brother, Manten continued the fight, rushing at Miroku with great speed as Kouga got back to his feet to retrieve the girl. His bald head glimmered in the low light, which constantly flickered ever so often. The bald brother opened his mouth as he got close and spat out a fan of fire, that of which Miroku barely dodged. The thief was not up to supernatural battles, but he never left home unprepared. He reached the bottom of his show as he rolled away, and whisked out a small dagger. As he came back up out of the roll, he tossed it at the pudgy man and it hit him directly in his right shoulder. He never saw it coming.

Hiten took this as his opportunity, a large rain began pouring outside as the lights fizzled out and popped above him, leaving patches of darkness in the bar. A small steam of lightning came from the broken light fixture and aimed itself right at Miroku, it moved and snaked around as he did, finally nicking him on his side and leaving a gash.

The fight dwelled on and on, and fire was already burning the area down from the inside out. Miroku seemed to be the only person who grew weaker as the time wore on. In a fit of rage, he opened his vortex again with the thought of hitting the charging, younger sibling. In fact, the wind tunnel never opened, his hand was normal again—but that didn't stop the barrage of air wisps that soon formed and cut through the air. He was unaware of this attack, as was the man who created it, and like his previous dagger, they landed on Manten. The air whirls pierced his flesh, in numerous places, causing stains to appear on his once clean clothes. The man even fell to the ground as one hit his eye, causing him to double over in pain, both hands covering the wounded socket as blood dripped from between his fingers.

Hiten looked less surprised than Miroku, taking his time to send more bolts of electricity down from the bulbs above. In the violet eyed man's state of disbelief, he's struck rather heavily on his left shoulder, his arm falling limp to his side as a trickle of smoke billows up from the clothes.

"Foolish." He looked to his brother, "Get up, Manten." A squeal and a cry were heard from him as he wobbled to stand.

Miroku, ever the opportunist, took the time to try out his newfound skill again, concentrating harder and this time in Hiten's direction. It was a success as they shoot out, and as he ran off and out the door.

Hiten was partially caught off guard, the thunderstorm growing in the background as he was cut. A small line of blood appeared on his cheek as he growled the thunder outside mirroring his yell.

* * *

Sango was whisked towards the back and through a door where she was instructed to quickly strip and change. She did as she was ordered and changed into a dark tank top, shorts, and flats. Ellie, one of the more busty dancers donned the shirt she wore as Raina came in carrying Miroku's things.

They were early shoved into her hands as a blonde wig was smooshed on her head. "You're Winnie if anyone asks." Raina gave her a careful smile, her eyes telling how worried she was about her newfound friend.

Ellie waved bye and put on a wig that was very reminiscent of Sango's hair, but a little shorter. She backtracked a little from the way they went before Hina, a dark skinned, straight haired girl took her hand and walked her farther back, opening weird doors that led down into dark twisted corners. Sango knew Ellie was bait as they left, and she soon came up on the outside world.

There were bright lights and street signs. They made it back to the surface. Hina took out a few supplied from her chest area, some dark red lipstick that she glammed on and some eye shadow that she painted on all over to give her a darker look. The darker woman smiled and took off her black cap, placing it on the younger girl's head.

"We're gonna miss you, sweetie." Hina gave her one last hug.

"I'm sorry for ruining—" Sango almost started to cry

"Don't apologize. I had a great time. We'll be back in no time, ready to dance and everything, I promise." She winked and pointed down the street. They were still under the cover of some building—she was so unsure where they were. "Just keep walking down this street; you'll come up on a building with a bright yellow sign. Go in the alley behind it, you'll meet him there."

Before Sango could protest about walking in the rain or anything, Hina waved goodbye and went back in the door they came from.

Sango sighed, holding onto the backpack as she began her trek down the road, at least her shoes were comfortable.  
She received many looks from her attire. It was hard not to stare when you looked like a dancer outside of your club. She was offered a ride many times, but declined, almost finding it safer to walk down the road and get soaked by the rain than enter the car of some male stranger. She shivered a little until finally reaching the destination.

The large yellow sign spelled out Bowling in large letter. She was unsure of where to go before a hand grabbed he shoulder. She spun around and raised a hand, smacking the man on the face. As she looked, she smiled.

Here he was, her protector looked wet and miffed with a large red hand print on the side of his cheek. She hugged him, smearing her face into his shirt, as she started to cry. It was the first time he heard it and it made his heart stop for a moment. He slowly went to hug her back, moving her away from the alley she was supposed to go down and down another street to another building entirely.

The place was closed, but that meant nothing to a professional thief as he broke in the back door. It was small and the windows were all boarded shut. He had taken the backpack from her when he got the chance and set it down on the cool, tile floor. He had no idea what this building had been, but it was good enough. Once she got in, she nearly collapsed on her knees. Her face hid the fact that she cried, except her eyes which were slightly puffy with dark smears all around them from rubbing. Even though that, she was alluring.

Miroku shook his head out, taking his shoes off as he closed the door behind him. The place was medium sized with a counter and a small patch of carpet near it. He picked her up and she didn't fight it as he carried her deeper still into the building, setting her on the carpet.

She looked miffed, tired, and cold. "What's wrong?" Miroku crouched down beside her small frame, leaning on the wooden counter's insides.

"I create monsters that ruin the lives of everyone I care about and I've had no choice in any of this." Miroku stayed silent as she pulled her knees in close, trying to stop her shivering somehow. "And apparently I've kissed tons of people, but really... I don't remember any of them. I can't name anyone, point them out... nothing." Her bottom, ruby red, lipstick colored lip trembled and he stared before wrapping his arm around her, pulling her into his body for warmth.

Her hair stuck to her face and body. He tried to pry it away and set it to the side as he held her close. It was a nice feeling, something he knew he was hooked on—but she was still young.

After a few moments, her eyes drooped but she had one more question to ask. "Why are you doing this?"

He knew why now, but it wasn't okay to say it aloud. "I'll tell you later..."

Whether later would come, no one knew at that moment, but she fell asleep so fast there were no other qualms about it.

He woke up early the next morning, Sango still in his arms. He grinned a little before slowly placing her down on the carpet to rest. He got up and checked his phone, skipping over the many missed calls from Inuyasha and going straight to another contact known as Akito.

He walked away, moving towards the door so Sango wouldn't wake up from the call.

"Hey. What do you know?" His voice was low and he hung his head down with the tiny contraption next to his ear, the words from the other person already pouring out.

* * *

_There are those people with gifts and those people who are experiments. Experiments are unable to receive these powers—at least normally._

_Sango falls into neither category. She is, in fact, a giver, and they are prized and rare, a once in a lifetime thing—and she can give without the cost of death. Ahh, and what a prize she is. _

* * *

Naraku stared out from his desk, looking out the large oval window, down at the city below him. They were all pathetic, each and every one of them. His fingers drummed against the table wearily, without her, he couldn't get any more money from the other rich and powerful men. He couldn't create his line of followers without his Sango.

He knew she had to be okay, she was just huddled up with that selfish poor man—Miroku, his name was. He was beginning to be a nuisance, letting her run around the way she was.

She would be found and brought back to her rightful place.

There was a knock on the door, "Come in." His voice was dark, uninterested in the world around him thus far.

"The other two are searching for them now as we speak. They may know where he's going, but they found Miss Yura's stash and... burnt it." It was a young woman with glasses and shoulder length black hair.

"Do you know where they are now?" He asked dryly.

"No... but they couldn't have gone too far. I—"

He cut her off, "I need her back soon. I have preparations made and the deadline is coming up soon."

She bowed to his back and quickly scampered off to relay the news.

The people, the business, the town and the city... they were all so close.


	4. Bruised

**Rated M for bad language and poor fight scenes. :3 **

**Constructive criticism is always welcome, along with reviews, if you want to leave any.**

**I apologize about the wait, I was busy with school, and I will be going back through the past chapters to fix any spelling mistakes (and maybe continuity errors, because I don't always check these over before I post them).**

**Chapter 4 :: Bruised**

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* * *

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Sango woke up on the floor, rubbing her eyes, staring around the area. She was alone—not too alone, as she looked out from behind the counter. There was Miroku, leaning against the door. He smiled as he saw her peak over at him.

Her hair looked a mess after waking up, it puffed out near the ends and some seemed to curl around her face in a frizzy knot. Her makeup was still a mess from her crying the other day but it was now dried and cakey. She wiped her hand on face, which removed and smeared some of the makeup, creating an even worse look. She frowned when she looked down at her hands.

Miroku chuckled a little, "Good morning, gorgeous." She shot him an angered stare and he just laughed it off. "We will be going to see a friend of mine. He has a pretty decent place we can stay at for af day or two."

"No." She came to a stand, holding onto the desk she slept underneath for support, "I don't want to hurt more people." She then quickly added in, "And my face looks a mess."

* * *

It didn't take long, but Sango stayed in the clothes she wore the day before, deciding not to change in front of Miroku, even if both their backs were turned. She instead took a shirt she packed with her and wiped away most, if not all, of the makeup she had on and put a cap she brought with her to shield her hair from view. It was quite an odd look, but it worked.

Miroku had gotten her to agree to visiting, if only for a day. They needed a real place to sleep.

They had taken a few back roads and were finally rounding up on the area they were supposed to go to. It ended up being a little house. It looked cozy on the outside and he grinned as they approached. It wasn't located on any major road, and was mostly in the back with a few others. There was quite a bit of space between the houses, too, unlike most of the other ones they'd passed and seen.

Miroku walked up and knocked on the door. After a minute of waiting, the door creaked open and Miroku was bombarded in a close knit hug with his guest. "Akito!" He turned and moved his hand, "—this is Sango; Sango, this is Akito."

She gave the man a small smile and extended her hand. He took it with both of his and gave it a hearty shake. "Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home."

Akito was an average man. He wore glasses and had very short, dark brown hair. He wasn't as tall as Miroku, but he wasn't as short as Sango. His eyes were a deep brown color and his hands… they were quite strong.

Upon entering she was shuffled into another room with two rather large bookshelves and a few cushioned seats. Miroku waved her to sit, and she did as he and his friend exited and left the room. The door closed behind them and Sango was left alone to her own devices. She dropped her bag on the ground next to the seat and went off to explore for a bathroom.

"So that's the girl, huh?" Akito spoke quietly after closing the door, leading Miroku farther into his work room. It was well sized, with a large desk in a corner and a table off to the side. They both sat on the opposite sides, Aktio at his desk, and Miroku at the rectangular table. "She's… young."

Miroku nodded, "Too young," he had to add that in, he knew what his friend was thinking.

Akito shrugged, "Too bad."

Miroku leaned back in the wooden seat, stretching his legs out, "What do ya got? Does it say anything interesting?"

His friend frowned at that, pulling up a few informative screens on his computer. His mouse roved around, clicking on the files to begin. He sighed, "Good news or bad news?"

A frown donned his once smiling face, "Bad news."

"Wonderful." He turned around to face Miroku, his hands in his lap. He looked towards him and then away at the wall, "You're dying." His voice became solemn, "The powers you were given are killing you. I haven't had any recent samples, but from the last time I saw you, and the one you sent me about two days ago, they're drastically different."

Miroku gave no real expression at that. He looked away, too, his lips pressed into a thin line at the news. "Is that it?"

"I don't know whether it's because you've been using them more often, or because they just naturally take from you, but I can check a few and send them to be tested soon." Akito frowned, "But whatever it is, we'll get you through this."

Miroku gave a low curse, "Shit." He looked back up, pulling his legs beneath the chair, "Yeah, we can do that." He ground his teeth together, his voice coming out a little bitter "Good news?"

Akito looked towards the door, "She's fine and there's nothing out of the ordinary with her. I also found out that the company her family owns, that's run with Naraku, it's into genetic testing. It's not something big, but it's rumored all around."

The jet haired man looked towards the door, staring at it as if he could see Sango behind it, "What great news that is." His voice was soft and held a less bitter tone than it had previously.

His friend stood and walked over to the table, pressing his hand down on his shoulder, "Are sure you should continue to help her?"

Miroku shrugged his hand off and stared up into his friend's eyes with a fearsome gaze. The conversation was over.

He tested that day and gave him samples of blood, right then and there, twice. One before using his powers and one after he had, they had to wait until the morning to receive the results once he sent them off.

* * *

Inuyasha spent a lot of time calling Miroku, trying to find out where he was and if he was okay, and to Kagome's chagrin, he never picked up, not once.

Kagome was at her wits end, at least until they got word from the news stations. There was still no word about the missing heiress, none at all, but there had been word about a storm and a fire at a club.

A few people came on TV to explain what happened, most of them giving cheesy smiles to the camera and waving to the people they knew would be watching. After all was said about the 'freak' accident, they put in a simple blurb about their club and to come to it to help fix up the repairs.

As Inuyasha stared blankly at the faces that appeared across the screen, he realized that the name of the place sounded familiar. In that same small instance, he started to pack some stuff, and pulled Kagome along.

"It's time to go." He said gruffly.

Kagome gave him a confused look, "Where? Why?" She packed a few things to go anyway and they left their home, locking the door behind them.

"I know where they're going, or where they are or were. That bastard will not hear the end of this!" The tossed their things in the back and Kagome giggled, as they drove off.

* * *

Sango was left to her own devices in Akito's room, sprawled out on his bed with the remote. This morning, Miroku would get his test results.

Ever since he and Akito had spoken, Miroku was weary. Was his life really being cut so short? He knew the answer on the inside, but he couldn't really bring himself to say anything about it as he stared over at the lovely woman lying on another man's bed.

They both wore baggier clothes today. Sango was going for the more masculine look, which she was horrible at pulling off. The two of them would be off on the road again in a few hours, him and her with no real home to go to.

Akito called Miroku over and they both moved off into a separate room. "I just read the results," he whispered, "And you have to stop using it."

"I can't." His words came out fast, "She needs to be protected."

"Damn. Does she know what you're going through, what is happening to— "

Miroku looked a little angry as he stared into Akito's dark eyes, "Don't you dare say a thing to her about this. This is between you and me."

Akito frowned and seemed to glare at Miroku for a split second, "Got it."

Sango's savior walked back into the room and called in to her, "It's time to go. Are you ready?"

She popped up on the bed, her legs swinging off the side as she gathered her things, "Coming!"

Miroku paced towards the door, Akito following behind him slowly, "I don't like this."

"You don't fucking have to like a thing I do. You never did. It never stopped us from talking before." Miroku's face cleared up into a smile once Sango entered the room.

She quickly bowed to Akito, "Thank you for having us." He smiled, despite the harsh words he and his friend shared.

As they left the premises, Akito stared off, guessing that he would never see or hear from Miroku after this moment again.

* * *

Sango was tired of walking and was allowed to hitch a ride on Miroku's back. She still held her pack of clothes on her back. Her hands wrapped protectively around his neck along with her legs around his waist. He placed his hands beneath the hinge of her knees to keep her fastened in place.

Her lips were close to his ears, and even in the innocent way she blew, it caused him to hold his breath as she whispered into his ear, "Are we there yet?"

He exhaled, her cheek placed against the side of his head in boredom, "I believe we are close to a church we can spend the night in."

She nodded next to his face and soon nodded off as soon became fifteen minutes in the dark of the night. They had been walking all day, with only minor stops for bathroom breaks and to snack. This was not the way a girl like her should be raised, but she never seemed to complain about those types of things.

They came upon the place he spoke of and walked towards it. It was huge, with a bell at the top of its steeple. It obviously had enough room if they could make it in.

Once Miroku got there, he knocked on its doors before pushing them open, keeping one steady hand on the sleeping female on his back. To his surprise, he was met with little pressure and a man on the inside.

The man on the inside was older and grinned at Miroku and the luggage on his back, "You are without a home right now. Times are hard indeed."

Miroku nodded, "We have come a long way and if you could help me and the lady with a place to stay tonight, we both would be most grateful."

The man nodded and let them in. Miroku assumed he was a priest from how he was garbed in white cloth. He was not sure why he was here so late, but was pleased, nonetheless. The place has a peculiar smell to it that seemed mixed with a bunch of other, more floral scents. The priest strode towards the back and offered the two a room in the back. It had many different cots, all with a simple blue blanket over them. They obviously let a lot of the downtrodden in here when they needed it.

Miroku dipped his head the man in thanks, "Thank you." He slowly lowered himself to the ground, along with the sleeping figure on his back. "We will try not to wake you." Sango's form crumpled off of him and onto a cot. He held a hand and repositioned himself to hold her up as he turned and stripped her backpack from her form. She stirred and then was left to lie on her temporary bed for the night.

He took a blanket and covered her form, moving to fall asleep right beside her on a different cot just as soon. It was ten, what a good time to start resting.

* * *

Inuyasha and Kagome had wound up at the club, staring at it with a frown.

Was anyone inside?

Inuyasha sniffed the air and Kagome stared around the area in earnest, "Are you getting anything?"

His head turned this way and that, "It's faint, but I can smell that bastard and the girl."

"Sango." Kagome mused, "Her name is Sango."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Feh." He stopped, sniffing the air again, "I can smell the hair."

His lover visibly paled, a hand shooting to cover her mouth as she stifled a cry. She knew what hair he was talking about, even though she didn't know who it belonged to. The hair from Jiro's house.

He looked to her with a frown, knowing he had to tell her, no news was too bad just yet, "They're going in the same direction, and went at different times. The hair scent is fresh." He added the last statement in an effort to console her worried mind.

* * *

Miroku felt a light tickling sensation roaming across his limbs. He was sleeping on his side, the tiny cot barely able to accommodate his height. He had to curl up underneath the tiny blanket. However, he quickly sprang out of bed as Sango screamed beside him. She was being pulled out of bed by a thick matt of black hair and her screams were quickly squelched as it wrapped across her mouth.

Miroku shot up, only to be dragged back down by the same force. It spiraled across his arm slowly and with the same tickling sensation he felt before. He was unable to reach his other foot in this position and instead opened his hand and grabbed the strands of hair. With his eyes closed he willed his hand to work like it had before, and air shot out in large bursts, cutting the hair from around his arm. Moving, he worked to free his other arm.

Sango was already out the door, her legs kicking and trying their best to grab the smooth floor beneath her. Miroku was quickly into the main room of the church, with chairs sitting all around, waiting for a congregation in the morning. It was too early for this.

There, in the center of the room was a woman, Yura. Miroku extended his hand and aimed, shooting out precise enough shots to cut the stream of hair that threatened to pull Sango even closer to their enemy.

The brunette fell to the ground in a smack, flailing up to sit on her hands and knees as the hair fell around her form limp. Sango's own hair toppled over her shoulders, almost obscuring her face. As she looked ahead, she saw Miroku and bursts into a haphazard run towards his person.

Yura gave a rather airy laugh, her bob lipped as she tossed her head with a grin, "So you're the man she has found herself with." By this time, Sango was huddled behind Miroku, his hands out in an effort to stop the woman from looking back at the trembling girl. "Her hair is beautiful. Let me touch it. Just let me see her, have her, _kiss_ her again." Yura licked her lips, almost as if she were trying to elicit a provocative response from Miroku. The short haired woman reached a hand out and the thief, kept his more deadly hand at the ready.

"Leave us." His voice was firm as he lifted his foot, pulling a slim dagger into his palm. His hand twisted it to point the hilt towards his wrist as he angled his arm back and shuffled Sango towards the back rooms. He handed her the dagger in the moment and she clutched it close, holding it protectively in the palms of her hands. In a low voice, he spoke to Sango, "I want you to get away from this fight. Don't come out for any reason."

"Miroku—" her voice had a pleading tone to it.

"For any reason, be safe, take this and get to safety." She ran.

Once Sango rushed away, back towards another side of the room, away from the cots. Yura attacked with full force, sending the tendrils of hair straight at Miroku at piercing speeds. There was no time to send out an attack of his own as he dodged and rolled across the way, the hair hitting the walls and bouncing off in an effort to catch him.

He ducked and slid beneath seats, catching the fallen wood debris as he swiftly hopped over certain chairs. In one swift movement, he held his hand out and shot an air attack at her face, it missed, but it did strike a few strands of her hair.

Yura wildly screamed and turned away to look at the missing pieces, grasping at her hair in an effort to compose herself. This gave him the time to spread his fingers and open the vortex. It came out slowly, tiny at first before it spread across his palm and began sucking in nearby objects like a black hole.

She was completely caught off guard for that moment, and as she was pulled in, he saw a small glimpse of relief flash across her face. Miroku turned just in time and dodged a stab to his side by the priest. His hand quickly grabbed the wounded area; he had been sliced rather hard.

Miroku gave a small stumble and a light curse, "Shit." The man that let them stay here was silvery now, his hands in the form of rather sharp blades.

He was attacked just as fast as before, this time the priest moving in to slice him up quickly. Miroku had no real weapon to use to parry the attacks and took to dodging and rolling, something he was very good at as a thief. It made everything a hell of a lot harder when he realized that Yura started pooling her hair on the floor in an effort to keep him in place or pierce him from below.

His movements were becoming reckless after a while, his attacks going way off target. He had been nicked quite a few times, but after a couple minutes, he was back near the cot room and had gained a far enough distance away. His hand shot out again to shoot Yura, but the metal man got in the way, jumping in front of his attack out of protection. Nothing seemed to happen to him.

He slumped forward, his side having been pumping out blood from all the movement. He caught himself on his knee, his breathing shallow, "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He winced as he started running again, going into a charge, at least until he noticed the attack coming straight for him. He sidestepped the slice, holding his hand out with the perfect opportunity to hit Yura.

He took the shot and was heavily pierced through his arm, write around his bicep. He was unable to move his hand for the moment through the pain, and thus… was unable to attack. The hair attack had also sliced through his side, causing him to double over in pain—which was almost impossible with a large, firm spike of hair through his arm. His yell was so loud.

Yura smiled, unable to sit anywhere since most of the seats had been torn down. She walked up to him, her hands waving in front of her body as the sword-man kept his ground, looking in Miroku's direction.

Yura gripped his face and pulled it up. Blood had started to spill from his mouth, "Your hair is horrible, as are you." She tossed his face down, which caused his body to pull through with the motion. She smiled and looked back towards the priest, "May I?"

He turned back into his normal, human form staring around the room with a frown. "Go have your fun; she will come if she can hear his screams."

Yura raised her forefinger and flicked it out. A single strand of black hair raced towards his leg and punctured it. However small it was, it hurt. She left it there for a moment before tugging it out, which caused Miroku to let out a small gasp. That's when she smiled.

She was relentless with her tactics, often going at a much quicker pace as she changed the stab points from his legs, to his abdomen, his face. There were quite a few marks where blood seeped from his face. When he refused to scream, loud enough, she smacked him hard, causing him to yell out in pain from being nudged.

Miroku was tired and bleeding out, "Fuck you and go to hell." He did his best to spit on her and ended up coughing blood in her direction.

Yura leaned in to hit him once more when his hand opened and the wind-tunnel appeared in the center of his palm. He smiled, her face was right next to his uplifted hand and the scream that came out was loud and bloodcurdling.

Her head was pulled into the vortex with the little strength he could muster up before it shut, leaving her decapitated body there to spew blood and topple onto the ground lifeless. The hair that held him in place also seemed to lose it ground and standing as it, too crippled to the ground. Miroku was left in a pool of mixed blood, as he moved back on his good arm to get away.

* * *

Sango was at the top of the church, having found some stairs that made their way to the bell tower. Her knees her up, the knife drawn, she expected someone to come up and get her, she expected it to be Miroku, hoped it would be, yearned it to be.

It was cool up here, seeing as everything was basically open to the world from where she was. As she got used to her surroundings, a yell shook her entire being, causing her to shiver. It was feminine.

Sango quickly rushed back down the stairs, rushing out downstairs, "Miroku!" What she saw stopped her in her tracks. "St-Stop!" The priest, silver and bladed held his hand above Miroku's body, preparing to pierce him on the ground. He stood and turned to look at her.

"Ah-ha, so you did come." He turned around to finish the job.

She still clutched the small dagger, "I said stop!" She was shaking.

Miroku was looking over at her. She could barely see the up and down movement of his chest.

The priest kept his sword poised down at Miroku, lowering it to press into his chest. "He can't have you all to himself." He turned to look at her and jumped back from him. Sango held the dagger to her neck. "What do you want?" He conceded and held his hands in the air, taking a couple steps back from the fallen man.

Sango's grip on the knife wasn't that great, but any slips or jumps and she'd surely nick herself. "Go to the door." Every step she took and every time it looked like the weapon got to close, the priest would gasp, afraid she might harm herself in some way.

When she got to him, he did not look happy one bit and she not to look at the fallen body nearby.

"I told you to hide." His voice was ragged and deep, it was low, possibly too low for the other man to hear.

Her lip quivered, but she kept the knife in its place when she kneeled down nearby, "I thought you won." Her voice then began to waver, "I didn't know you were about to die."

"Self-sacrifice is what all the super heroes do today."

From the door, the priest spoke up, his voice taking on a friendlier tone than it had before. He took in the situation and played it around on what he knew, "Do you think he can keep fighting for you?"

She snapped over in the man's direction, scowling, "He will get better. I believe in him. I believe he will grow to know the full potential of his power and we will run away and win every battle after this, even if we must fight to survive." His voice started up right when she was finished.

"He didn't tell you yet." A smile grew.

Miroku held a confused stare, along with Sango who looked down at him as if he would know the answer.

The priest took a step forward and Sango held the knife a little more firmly at her neck, getting him to back off again. "He's dying and not from what happened today. Every time he fights, every time he goes to protect you, every time he goes to use his power… his life is shortened. That's his downfall. He could become the most powerful man in the world, but he wouldn't live long enough to see what he could create because he'd be dried up by then."

Sango was livid, "I don't believe you."

"Ask him. Ask him to lie to you, to take the burden off of your shoulders. To run you around the world away from everything that could make you happy!"

She turned on him, swiping her hand through the air in a wide arc, "Shut up!" Her face was turning red and she turned to face Miroku. Her voice was so quiet, almost heartbroken as she asked him, "Is it true?"

Miroku reached out to touch her face, but ended up grasping her arm, "You… deserve a real life." She choked back a 'No' and tried to pull herself away, stopping once she heard him wince.

Sango dropped the knife then and searched through his pockets, coming up on a bloodied cellphone. She was shaking as she pressed the buttons, calling someone. For what felt like the longest time, she never spoke, "We're nearby at a church, come pick him up." She paused, someone was saying something but she hung up.

His grip tightened on her arm, "Don't leave me." She went to stand, grasping at his hand in an effort to pull it off. It worked, possibly because he was in too much pain to really fight back.

She took a few steps away from him, out of reach when she dropped the phone open nearby, the screen read Inuyasha.

"I will go if you leave him alone. I will not run away again."

Miroku began to move more violently, grasping the phone in hand and urging his body to stand. His voice acme out louder and he called her name. She didn't dare look back. The priest turned back into his human form and led her outside.

"What a wise choice." He turned around and gave Miroku a small grin. Once Sango was farther outside, he began to close the door, leaving him with these final words, "In a few minutes, this place will burn to the ground." He lit a match and tossed it on the ground. At first Miroku expected it not to work, there wasn't enough, but it did.

That peculiar smell that settled in the area, he realized now, was some type of accelerant. They had won.

His hand gripped the open phone, pressing redial to call to Inuyasha.

* * *

Sango and the priest, or fake priest, or whatever he was, stood outside. With an accelerant doused over all the wooden seats, it didn't take too long for smoke to start coming from under the church doors. Sango had been looking back the entire time, wishing that Miroku would be able to escape and save her, but she made her choice.

The smoke, however, made her regret the choice as she burst out in sprint towards the door, screaming his name at the top of her lungs, only to be knocked on the side of her neck. Her eyes rolled back and she dropped into his arms, unconscious as he walked towards the back of the church. It took her only a few seconds to come to, her eyes squinting in pain.

Sango had a large headache and felt like throwing up; she couldn't even begin to move as she made a pained moan. The priest man pulled her closer to his body before coming along a black car. He opened the doors, and set her down, laying her on the backseat. He got in the car and drove off, by the time she could fully move and realize exactly where she was, she'd already be in a jet headed straight for her home.

* * *

As the fire began to fill up the room, he stayed low on the ground, telling Inuyasha to come fast. Not only was he bleeding out, but the room was filling up with smoke. His thoughts on the matter at hand were cut short when he heard Sango screaming in name. Too bad he didn't have the strength to reach the door.

He lifted his shirt up, wincing as it pulled up skin and blood. He used it to cover his mouth to the best of his ability.

He stared over at his phone, the whole place lighting up in a fire. Time slipped away, his face became sweaty, his hand dropping the phone after a while as his hands became too clammy and the world around him too hot. He blanked out.

Inuyasha finally found the burning building, the flames heavily contained inside, by the smoke clouded up the night sky, leaving it all nearly invisible unless to passerbys, and this place was not something people seemed to pass by often.

The silver haired man shoved himself through the doors, letting a shower of wooden parts hit the floor as she he searched for his friend. The flames were already beginning to lick his shoes and catch his shirt as he made his way towards his friend's familiar scent. Without too much hesitation, Inuyasha picked up his wounded friend and slung him over his shoulder, rushing out the building before anything else there could go wrong.

Kagome was driving to them and he ran towards her. She took one look at his wounded body and nearly screamed, "Are you hurting him?"

He frowned at that, placing him gently in the back seat of the car, "Who gives a shit if I'm hurting him. Let's get him to the hospital." His voice was gruff and hard.

As she started the drive backwards, she had to ask, "Did you see her?"

He was silent for quite a while before shaking his head, "Not at all."

* * *

Sango was nauseous all day when she came back and came to. She was told that everyone was happy and pleased to have her back home with them.

She stayed in bed the entire time and people came to check on her at several times, but no matter how safe they said she was, she never felt that way. This became a problem the second day when they told her to eat and she didn't.

_How did they drug me before?_

Her room was large, with a four poster bed in the back corner. It was filled with trivial things now—posters, a desk with homework she never got to finish, books in a corner and a closet full of beautiful clothes.

She shivered and held the covers up to her chin, trying her best to stop her stomach from grumbling and her mouth from being so parched.

There were guards at her door, they let people in and they let people out—just not her. During her second day stay, she heard hushed whispers before someone came in. Her back was to the door, and the walk to her bed was long, as it was on the opposite end of the large room.

Her hands pulled the covers further up her face, but she stared at the blank wall. Whoever it was leaned forward and pressed a hand to her head, she quickly whipped her hand up to smack it back, but her wrist was caught. It was a man's hand, and it slowly rubbed against the inside of her palm.

Her voice came out in a crackled voice, "Go away." She was so thirsty.

"You need to eat." The voice caused her to shiver as she tried to tug her hand back, but to no avail. It was Naraku.

_Would he save me this time?_

He pulled her out from her newly made safe place and she let him. Her hair splashed out on the other pillow closest to him. Sadly, she was afraid and it showed on her face. Her eyes were wide with fear, "Go away." She was less sure of herself, her voice wavering, her eyes stuck on his face.

_Could he save me this time?_

His grip tightened around her hand as he leaned in, "You have nothing to fear right now." His hand trailed from her wrist to her shoulder and she looked away, moving her arm back beneath the covers and away from him. "Your food is fine. Now eat."

He walked away from her after that. She ate, no side effects—that she knew of—and she hadn't seen Naraku since. It seemed like a good trade off.

After the first week, she was allowed some liberties of leaving her room, up to a point. She still had yet to see her family—her brother and mother, the latter of which she was okay with not visiting.

_You deserve a life._

Would he save her after all she did, he had to be okay—she didn't feel anything. Would she feel anything if he died?

_Miroku, please be safe._

By the third week she was free—free enough as a slave in her own home. Sango rushed through the large building, running down the halls, past the stairs, and stood before her brother's room. She knocked on the door, but there was silence.

Her hand pushed on the door, it was dark, there was no visible lump on the bed and she stood there for quite some time before someone passed by and touched her shoulder. She jumped and shrugged the hand off.

"He's gone to private school for a while." It was a maid. They either knew everything about what happened here, or thought she was crazy. She already tried explaining to them everything that happened.

Sango nodded almost blankly, "When will he be back?"

"He has three more months." The younger girl nodded again, closing the door behind her and slid down to the floor beneath her once the hallway was clear. Hugging her knees to her chest, she cried.

She was so lonely.

It was during that week she was shuffled over to the business floor and sat outside a room. She waited for hours, possibly just minutes. She came to a stand, brushed off her skirt and began walking off. That is, of course, when the door decides to open. She stood there, watching as the people left.

Some of them turned to look at her and gave her a smile. There were about ten people in all.

_How many of them kissed her?_

That's when a familiar head appeared. It was a woman, tall, with black hair toppled on her head. She turned, her face looking more aged than she last remembered it. Her mother.

Everyone left them both alone for the first time in what felt like forever. They stared at each other, she at her mother and her mother right back at her. The older woman grabbed Sango's hand and pulled her into the large business room. There was a long rectangular table inside it, with a large TV off to one side.

Sango was tossed inside and stopped, stopping her fall by grasping the side of the table. She wasn't prepared for any of this, nor was she prepared for the smack that came right after. It sent her back against the table and left a glowing red mark on her cheek that seemed to grow in color.

The wounded girl held her ground, bent over the table, one hand holding the pose on the table top, the other clutching her face. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Her tone was icy as she stared down at her daughter, her lips pursed in a sneer.

Sango didn't speak at first, rubbing her cheek and moving the other hand down to the table where she slowly began to move around her question, "Do you have nothing else to do but yell at me?"

Her mother raised her hand again and smacked her across the face, this time drawing blood as Sango gripped her jaw, wiping the small trickle away from her mouth. It stung.

"You little whore. Running around with some man. That's all you do anyway, steal men away. Just like your father. He died for it, you know. For you."

Sango was slightly afraid of her mother's ramblings, but it wasn't anything she hadn't heard before, it was the first time she had been hit, though. "I haven't taken anything away from you, but you took everything from me."

Her mother raised her hand to strike her again and Sango flinched, turning her head away quickly, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, Naraku was behind her, holding her wrist back. Her mother quickly turned, about to yell, until she saw the man and that's when she smiled. It was almost like she went back—back before her father died—and Sango knew their relationship instantly, and she knew that her mother had signed her life away.

Naraku stroked her mother's cheek as she stared up into his eyes longingly. Sango felt sick and urged her body to move and escape the room, but looked to the floor instead.

"You know how important she is to this business." Her mother nodded obediently before him. "Did you at least sign the papers?" She gave an affirmative shake again, her smile brilliant. "Then I'll tell you two the good news now."

Sango looked up, her face taking on a more firm appearance, trying to appear unafraid.

"We're getting married." Her mother's smile brightened, and Sango sulked, preparing herself to leave, but he dropped her mother's hand and took hers in its stead, placing a kiss to her knuckles. "We will marry in a few days."

The blood left her face as she stared ahead, unable to truly process what was just said. Her mother's face looked gloomy, her expression mirroring a demon's as she looked at her daughter.

Sango removed her hand from his. It fell down limp at her side as she stumbled out the room. Her eyes were misted, possibly from tears, but her entire world began to crumble, literally. She got halfway down the hall before her world went blank and she collapsed to the ground.

_Miroku…_

* * *

Miroku's eyes fluttered open. There was a bright light shining down on him. He groaned and then sunk back into the soft, cushiony material. Kagome's face popped into view, covering the bright face with her even brighter smile.

"You're awake." Her voice was soft and his senses almost felt like they were on overload.

He sat up too quickly and started to fall back down onto the bed before Inuyasha caught his shoulder and lowered him to the bed. Kagome had gasped before placing a hand on his arm, "You have to rest. You have some serious injuries."

His violet eyes jumped across the room. "Where is she?" Kagome looked away and there was a long silence in the room. "I have to go."

"You have to get better before you even think about going after her." Kagome frowned.

He went to sit up again, this time slowly. He winced and the sheets fell to reveal his hospital robes. "She shouldn't have to wait."

Inuyasha snorted, "She's been waiting for a month. I think she can wait a few more days."

"I've been asleep for a month?"

"You woke up every now and then, but didn't say much. Maybe a few days since you last opened your eyes." Inuyasha shrugged.

He pulled a few wires from his chest and tugged the IV out, wincing again before stepping onto the cool floor with his bare feet. He was a little wobbly, but did his best to continue standing.

His voice was tinged with a bit of lethargy, "I am going to go and get her. She deserves to be able to make her own choices and have a real life."

Inuyasha chuckled and came to a stand, "You mean like we didn't get to do." He came to a stand, "Feh. I'll go."

Kagome frowned, but she couldn't keep it for too long, "You're trying to kill yourself, you know." She waited in the chair and then came to a stand as well, "Don't forget about me."

* * *

_He was the bastard child of a wealthy man. At first, his mother was paid handsomely, but when she died, so did the boy he knew._

_His hair was black and his smile was bright and hopeful for a young boy. When she was gone, his hopes were dashed as he was sent to a hospital. He remembered that he was being sent away to school, a private school where he could live on campus. His father did care._

_But his father didn't care._

_He was poked and prodded and hurt for days at a time. It happened so long that at times he became numb and locked his mind away to seal away any pain. After days, months, maybe even years—he wasn't sure anymore—he was let out. He was a weapon now and he could never fit in with everyone else._

_He was given some code, but when he ran away, he was Inuyasha._

_They never came looking for him._

* * *

The wedding was coming up soon. Naraku wanted it that way, of course. The day after Sango found out, she stayed in her room. Her fiancé entered her bedroom and she stood from the bed.

He pressed his hand against her cheek, tilting her head to the side to inspect where her mother smacked her. His hand moved from her cheek, down her neck, to her shoulder. She never looked at him once until his hand trailed lower to her hand.

Holding her dainty appendage, he slipped a large ring along her finger. "Tomorrow, you will be mine in all senses."

She raised her hand to smack him, but he caught her easily and shoved her onto the bed, exiting the room.

He walked towards the elevator, taking it to another, higher up floor. Taking a few turns, he walked into a room, coming along Sango's mother. It was obviously her room. It was huge, with draperies a large bed—it was mystical. The dark haired lady paced around the room, her hands crossed over chest.

"Her? What can she offer you that I can't or haven't?" Her face was brought up into a seer as she stared at him. "She can't even give you the company!"

Naraku stroked her face with his hand and she melted from his touch again. "I know." He motioned her towards the bed and she easily followed.

Her hand moved up to grasp her lover's against her cheek and she nuzzled it, sitting on the quilted sheets of her bed. "I have missed you so."

"Marrying your daughter will give me the company if you're dead." Her eyes widened, and a trickle of blood fell from her open lips and then she glanced down. There were thick black tendrils escape from his back that had pierced her stomach. The walls behind her were splattered with blood from the excessive force he used to kill her.

She fell back on the bed unable to scream as her hands went to her stomach. "Wh-Why?" her words were shaky and her face fell to a pallid, deathly color.

The demon like appendages disappeared, and he stripped, going towards her closet to put on cleaner clothes. She has his suits there, for obvious reasons. "Power. Absolute power."

As the life drained out of her, he walked out the room and shut the door behind him, taking care to lock it as he left.


	5. Gone

**Took a while and is probably not as good as the other chapters. It became much longer than I expected it to be. It was my hardest chapter to write! I'll be finishing my run through of redoing the chapters, I apologize about all my typos :3**

**Chapter 5 :: Gone**

* * *

A tall man with an angular face walked into the room. He had a short goatee and short, dark brown, scruffy hair on the top of his head. His face was pulled into a strong smile as he opened his arms to the little girl running up to greet him.

"Daddy!" The little six year old bounded forward and leapt into the wide, thick arms of her father before being swirled into the air off her feet. She giggled as he rubbed his nose against hers. Her smile was brilliant and her eyes were wide and bright, "I missed you."

The man gave her a peck on the forehead, "And I, you, my little Sango." He placed her back on the ground in her frilly blue dress, "Now, where's your mother and brother?"

Little Sango turned around with a giggle and skipped off down the hall, her father followed behind slowly, keeping up with her fast pace with ease.

Inside a room, the little four year old played with an assortment of toys and his mother sat in a chair watching him nearby. As her husband walked in, her face brightened up, and she ran towards him, much like her daughter had before. She was swept up into a loving embrace and cuddled against his body as he gave her a deep kiss on the lips.

"And how I've missed my love as well!" He left an arm around her waist as he leaned over to pick up his son, who was fine with his hair being ruffled.

They were perfect, their businessman father away on business, while the mother worked at home and on the work close to it. He built a normal home away and one here—they would never have to be too far away from each other, from a normal life, or so he hoped.

* * *

The business man, Naraku, was hired to help Isamu with the company. He quickly was given better positions and made his way to the top. As a trusted advisor, he got to meet the rich family on many occasions.

By Sango's eighth birthday, it was already apparent that she had a special gift, and her father did his best to stifle it at all costs.

Once a month, Sango was taken out of school for doctor's visits. Blood was taken to see how far along she was and she was given a shot on her arm. It always bored her, staying hours in a cool office with nothing to do.

At age nine, her life took a turn for the worst.

Her parents were at home, ready for their anniversary dinner without the children, at least until a call came in.

"Uh-huh," Isamu's rough voice rang out. He gave a small frown to his wife, "She can't sleep. I'll be over to pick her up soon."

He gave his wife a kiss and was out the door, he never made it back. It was a car accident.

* * *

Sango's mother took over the company, but she never really knew how to run a business. In her stead, Naraku took the reigns as the company.

After a month or Kohaku and Sango being parentless, their mother finally showed her face. She was still beautiful to look at, but her eyes were not as alive as they had once been.

The two children were sitting around, watching a large T.V. in a dark room. Light poured in once the only small door in the back was opened and a worked walked in.

"Miss Sango, Mister Kohaku, your mother would like to see you both." He closed the door and they were left in the darkness again, mouths agape and eyes watery.

Sango was the first to break the silence, turning off the T.V. and standing up, "Mommy finally wants to see us again." The little nine-year-old ran out the room and down the hall with a huge smile.

She came upon the large doors her mother had hid behind for a month—a whole month. Without knocking, she burst inside.

"Mommy." Her breathing was off, her cheeks a little flushes, and her hair billowed around her face in a dark halo. Her once happy features took on a simple frown.

"Where is your brother?" The older woman sat up and walked to the other side of her desk, taking in her oldest child's appearance.

Sango felt small again, and her voice showed it by coming out much softer, "He is coming."

She waved a hand, "Close the door."

Her daughter did just that and pushed it closed. Her back was to the dark wood and her heart beat a thousand times a minute, causing her face to flush and her little hands to sweat.

"You are such a beautiful little girl." She sighed and looked away, "You know your father's death was hard on me." Sango nodded, hearing her mother's saddened tone of voice, "It was hard to take that he left to pick you up because you were being difficult."

She spoke up quietly, "Mister Naraku picked me up."

Her mother turned to her with fire in her eyes, her hands white as she gripped the front of her desk so tightly, "Because your father died trying to get to you." She yelled at her and tried to recompose herself again, placing a tiny smile on her face in the process. "I was willing to accept that, but when they pulled him out the car, do you know what he said?"

Sango shirked back against the wood door, now visibly shaking. She shook her little head.

"He said to go protect his daughter and that he loved her. Nothing about the rest of his family, just you. Now that I think about it, he spent a lot of time with you, dotting on you, giving you special visits." She frowned, "I gave you life and there you were, stealing my husband away."

Sango shook her head again, "No, mommy!"

Her mother crossed the room and smacked her, not hard enough to leave a bruise, but enough to get Sango to stay quiet. "I've taught you better manners than that. You wait until the adults are finished talking."

Sango's bottom lips started to quiver as she held onto her cheek with both hands. Her little legs collapsed beneath her and she fell to the ground in a heap of tears.

Her mother collapsed next to her and tried to shush and wipe her tears away. "Don't cry. Mommy's here. I won't tell your brother."

* * *

Sango woke up in a sweat, lying in her bed underneath he covers. The lights were off and she was now clothed in a simple night gown. What a dream that was.

She turned as a tiny knock sounded on her door. She stayed quiet, but whoever it was continued to knock.

"Go away," she called. "I'm not interested in visitors."

"Sango?" the voice was male, a younger one.

She held her breath and when she spoke, her voice cracked, "Kohaku?"

"Yeah."

Sango brushed her sheets to the side and ran to the door, clumsily opening the thing to take a peek at her long, lost loved one. In an instant, she shoved her arms out and encircled him in a hug, her tears now falling freely. "I thought I'd never see you again."

* * *

Three days earlier, Miroku flexed his hands, wincing from the slight pain coming from the previously pierced arm. He knew he could work through the pain—it was mostly healed. Surprisingly, he knew, he could walk after being off his feet for so long and he knew the reason. Everything was coming back so easily, but he knew it came at a price.

He was punching a bag that was suspending in the air by a chain, each punch seemed to bring forth a small jolt of pain, but he didn't show it. They were in such a safe place now and, presumably, Naraku thought he was dead.

The small training session went on for quite a while, until Kagome entered the expansive gym room and dropped the tray of food she was holding.

"My God, Miroku!" Her steps pulled her to his side.

Miroku slowly turned around, tired, feeling out of shape and in so much pain. When he fully faced her she bent down and touched the side of his shirt.

When had he started bleeding?

She lifted up the sweaty material to get a better look and he made no move to stop her. "You almost tore the stiches." She lightly traced a finger over the area and looked up to him with a frown.

"Then heal it." She gave him an incredulous stare, "You know I can't do what you're asking. But I can fix the little damage you did."

He pushed his shirt down and reached out to grab the punching bag to keep himself propped up, "I know you did it before I woke up. So why not now? Is it because I'm awake?" She frowned and visibly paled, taking a few steps back. "I can't go to her like this. It's been two days. Two days since I've been awake, and we all know that bastard is up to something. I have to be prepared."

She frowned and shook a little, turning away from him, "You would have died right there on the ground where we found you if I hadn't healed you." Her voice fell to a small whisper, "To heal you now would shorten your already shortened life."

He was quick to respond, "I haven't used my powers since I got well."

"You shouldn't have to use them at all, and I shouldn't have to heal your wounds. You should be resting."

Miroku stared down at the younger woman and placed a hand on her shoulder, "And you know why I can't do that." He frowned, her eyes were watery, and she was starting to cry. "Shit." It was a curse under his breath and moved in to embrace her in a small hug. "I'll be fine, and you know it."

And Kagome did cry and Inuyasha watched from a crack in the door, saddened that he might just lose the best friend he has ever had.

* * *

Kohaku and Sango we relying on her large bed, side by side, over the covers. Her eyes were closed as she faced up to her ceiling.

"Tomorrow I will be married." Her voice was shaky. "I never expected it to be like this."

Kohaku laid next to her, staring up with his eyes open. He was almost taller than her, even though he was younger.

Sango bit her lip, peeking out through one eye to watch Kohaku. She felt safe and comfortable, which was something new after having come back home from all that time away. "I'm sorry."

He sat up and turned to her, "For what?"

There was only one thing she could say. "Dad." She paused, "I'm sorry I took him away from you. You needed a father figure at such a young age"

He shook his head, "It's not your fault he died." He slightly punched her in the shoulder, "You're just getting all worked up about getting married." He slipped form the bed with a grin.

She frowned up at him and rolled onto her side, "Leaving already?"

He nodded, "I'm hoping I don't get caught for sneaking over here."

"Will you be there… at the wedding?"

Kohaku was already at the door and gave her a smile, "I wouldn't miss it."

* * *

Isamu drove first to a gas station, his car was on low. It was better to fill it up now rather than when he had a scared little girl in the backseat. Ugh When he finished and was about to leave, a man ran out and tapped on his window. He barely rolled it down, letting the man speak through the little crack that was there.

"Sir, sorry to bother you, but it seems you have a call."

Isamu was not all too disbelieving and was about to just drive off and leave.

"The man says it's about a Sango."

He quickly got out of his car and was led to a phone booth nearby. From the small story he got, it was ringing and the worked answered it.

"Who is this?" Isamu queried into the cool phone.

"Have you been keeping her a secret all this time? Who would have known that she was so special." The voice on the other line was not distorted in the least.

Isamu knew who it was and his lips pressed into a thin line, "What do you want?"

There was a chuckle on the other line, "Everything. Now, don't go doing anything reckless, I do know your secret."

"You piece of shit." His voice turned dark, his knuckles were white from gripping the phone so hard.

There was a short moment of silence on the other line, "I'm going to take everything from you. When I'm through, she won't even call you daddy."

Isamu hung the phone up and quickly dialed his number. He was frantic, "If you see Sango, tell her I love her and don't let her out of your sight." He quickly hung up before she could ask too many question and got into his car.

Of course, while he drove to the house, traffic became unbearable. He began to take the back roads. No one was there. They were quiet, silent and dark. So dark, that when a figure appeared, he almost had no time to put on the breaks. As he inched in closer and swerved, his car skidded and he took in the face of the man before him.

Long black bars struck through his windshield and pierced him to the seat. From the harsh impact and the loss of control of the car, he skidded off towards a tree. The piercing feeling left his body and then nothing.

The car was crunched against the tree, what little pressure he pressed on the brakes at the last moment weren't enough to slow the car down.

* * *

She woke up alone and by someone knocking at her door. She shuffled towards the door and let her in, only to be slightly pushed to the side and stared at in awe. The woman seemed to admire her, even while she was in pajamas and looked horrendous with little sleep.

She quickly reached out and grasped her hand, placing a small kiss to the back of it. "I'm here for your wedding." Sango frowned and pulled her hand back, she should have known better. The woman proceeded to frown too, "We must go. You can't be late." Without the same kindness in her touch as before, Sango was pulled out her room, despite her pleas and led to the elevator, which they took two floors down.

She was taken to a large room, she wasn't sure whose room it was, but it was gorgeous and had everything they needed to prepare her for a wedding.

It took hours and she didn't complain at all. She felt that her fate was sealed. Her hair was bouncy and in large curls that waved down her shoulders. The gown she wore was strapless and pure white. It fanned out past her waist in a circle, the many layers flowing with each breath she took. It was magnificent and she looked wonderful.

It was the worst day of her life.

Sango was ushered into a church and was led to walk down the aisle, her hands clutching onto a bouquet of white roses before her. There were tons of people at attendance, most of which looked familiar in some way. There were no cameras, no journalists—it looked like a private affair full of people she didn't really know.

At the end of the isle, she could see Naraku. Her veil covered her face as she slowly trudged her way towards him—but her steps looked so fluid. When she finally reached him, he looked down at her in his sleek suit with the softest smile she had ever seen on him.

There were no interruptions, it was simple, easy and finished. In the end, when he removed the veil, her breath hitched itself in her throat.

She didn't want to kiss him. She looked back to the door. At any moment…

Naraku kissed her cheek, and stroked a hand across her cheek facing the crowd to hide his actions. He whispered quietly in her ear, "Now it's time to secure my position in the company with my beautiful wife."

Sango ducked her head forward and closed her eyes tightly, refusing to answer.

She sat alone after the wedding while Naraku continued talking to businessmen. He now owned the company. After a few minutes, her brother ran up to the table, his expression unreadable as he sat down beside her and clutched her hand on the table.

Kohaku gave her a simple smile. "It'll be okay."

Sango prepared herself for this moment, she promised not to cry, "He never came."

Her brother looked confused, "Who? Who is he?"

She looked away and gave a small chuckle, "She. I meant mother." It was not entirely the truth. "I expected her to be here when her daughter got married. I suppose it's a little too much to hope and wish for." She stared down into her lap.

His hand around hers tensed a little as a shadow passed over their table. Sango tilted her head up as she met an unfamiliar face. "Congratulations on your marriage. Naraku is a lucky man." He smiled at her and it scared her to the core.

She slid her hand out from underneath Kohaku's, "Thank you." The man stared at her for a while, looking her over like she was some kind of fantasy. He walked away slowly and she got up once he was far enough away, "I'm going to take a nap." She didn't even look down at her brother, "Stay safe, please."

Kohaku got up to stop her, but she picked up her skirts and ran away from her party and into the building. She shuffled her feet and dress across the threshold and ran towards the elevator, pressing the button as fast as she possibly could. When it opened, she slid against the back wall and pressed the close button before pressing her floor. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, but when she opened them, she was still in a beautiful gown, married to a man who sold her off to the highest bidder.

Everyone was downstairs, out in the large courtyard celebrating, so the hallway was empty as she floated down towards her room, pulling her skirts inside and closing the door behind her. Slowly, she collapsed onto the bed, hugging a pillow close to her body and lying on another. She could care less if her hair got messed up or if she was wearing shoes. She just wanted to be alone until more of her world began to crash down around her.

* * *

"Naraku has recently married the young business tycoon's daughter. This looks like a business match made in heaven…" The new reporter was standing blocks away from the building, unable to actually enter with all the security they had set up. He was still talking, but the sound of his voice on the large television was drowned out by Miroku's yells.

He tossed the remote control to the ground, "I'm late! Shit! I can't believe I thought I could wait this long." He stormed up from his spot and grabbed a jacket from the rack as he started to stomp off towards the exit.

Inuyasha appeared after hearing his outburst, "Hey. Hold on, don't do anything reckless." He tried to hold him back with both hands but Miroku pushed him off.

"I'm going. Get out of my way." Inuyasha held out another hand to hold him off, "Fucking move or I'll make you."

Inuyasha frowned, his eyes narrowing at his friend, "Or what?"

Miroku shoves Inuyasha off, who decides to shove him back, all before the recovering man swung a heavy fist at Inuyasha's face, hitting him square in the jaw and knocking him back a couple steps. The silver haired man, in turn swung a fist back at his friend, hitting him in the shoulder—his better one. As the small scuffle turned into a full on brawl, Kagome rushed into the room.

"What the hell is going on here?" She yelled, both men stopped, half on the ground and at each other's throats. "Get off each other now!" Her command was met by both men scrambling back away from each other and to their feet.

Miroku straightened out his clothes, "I'm leaving."

Kagome shot her head over to him, dumbstruck, "I thought you were waiting to get better. Why so soon?"

Inuyasha wiped his mouth, "He's willing to be a dumbass and go save that girl when she agreed to it."

"Are you trying to say she asked for it?" Miroku took a step forward before Kagome ran in between the two.

"Stop with the overly masculine show." She turned back to Miroku with a frown, "She's in that much trouble? You needed at least two weeks, maybe a week and a half. This is so soon…"

"He made her marry him." Miroku looked down, clenching his fist hard, so hard he was surprised he hadn't drawn any blood. "She needs me now, more than ever."

Inuyasha spoke up, "Why are you giving everything away for her?"

Miroku didn't answer, and Kagome lowered her hand, extending it towards the door in front of Inuyasha, purposefully separating him from his best friend. "I know why and you can go… but we can formulate a better plan together on the way there, if you don't mind." She looked up at Inuyasha with a smile, her eyes dancing with unshed tears.

Inuyasha looked away, "Feh. Fine. Whatever." He stalked towards the door, "Let's go before my half-brother asshole gets pissed about their being blood on his floor."

* * *

Sango reached out along the bedspread and woke up, clutching to her chest, her hair free and bouncy around her face after waking. She stared around the room, nothing was as she left it—nothing even belonged to her!

The wedding dress was still on her body, but her shoes were off and beside the bed right next to him. His tie was off and he looked very comfortable in the chair next to her—his bed.

She clutched the upper comforter, pulling the fluffy material up over her body, even though she was fully covered, "What am I doing here?"

He smiled and stood, smoothing any creases in his suit out before sitting on the bedside. "This is where you sleep—with me. We are a married couple now." He leaned in and grabbed the top of the comforter, trying to pull it down. He won, but she resisted as much as possible. When it was down, she hopped off the bed. "You need to get used to it, we're married."

Sango backed away from him, "Stop this. It's only a business arrangement." She breathed in slowly, "And I need time to get used to this new situation."

Naraku shed his jacked off on the bed and opened the first few buttons of his top, "You can have some time."

She looked down and the tousled sheets, "I need to change." She waited to see if he would move, "I need you to leave while I do that."

He smirked and moved to his closet, "You have some clothes to pick from in here." He then moved towards the door, but was stopped when she requested one last thing.

"Where is Kohaku?"

"Back at school. I sent him away after the party ended. He should be there in a few hours." With that, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

She flopped down onto the bed and sighed. Her hand rolled over his jacket, only to find that it was much heavier on one side that she expected. Keys. She flipped through them and looked them over, out of the five, one had to be the master key.

None of the clothes were anything close to what she wanted to wear, but almost anything was better than being in this huge gown. She finally changed into what looked like a designer pink and white sundress that was frilled at her waist. It was one of the least dressed up of all the clothes inside.. It had straps and was a little loose around her bust—she had assumed they were her mother's.

Her mother… she would like to have a word with that woman.

Sango picked the keys up off the bed after leaving the wedding gown strewn out on the bed. She opened the door and peered down the hall, quickly walking down it in her bare feet. She knew her mother and knocked on the door, there wasn't a sound. It was just like her to ignore her children when they needed a mother most.

Instead of waiting for an answer or calling to her, she started to fiddle with the keys, sticking them in one by one into the door until finally, the lock gave and turned. "You're a horrible mother and I deserve to know why you continue to treat—," she dropped the keys in a clatter, her eyes went wide and her mouth opened, but no scream came out.

She slowly shut the door behind her with a shaky hand and walked towards the bed. It had only been a day since she died and the air conditioning was on, keeping the seen very naturally preserved in time. She was pale and slightly blue, there was blood soaking into the sheets as her body was strewn across the bed, her leg dangling off the side.

Sango fell to her knees and stared at the body, unsure of how to feel. What should she feel for a mother who was never there for her?

* * *

Naraku was speaking with a few men around a large round table. "It's been nice to talk with you all as a married man. I am very proud to have known and met all of you."

The room of men around him broke out in a round of laughs and claps.

"Now that each of you have signed the contract. I want you to know that you are all scum. Your life is now forfeit." For a second their faces changed, but in that instance, he raised a hand and his body changed.

The thick black mass appeared from his fingers and spread into multiple section piercing each man present in the head. They each lolled back as blood pooled down their faces and Naraku curled his fingers up and wiped them on a handkerchief on the table. He pressed a button on the table, "Please come in the room and clean up this mess."

The female voice on the other line replied, "Yes sir."

All the loose ends were being tied up now.

Naraku started to walk out the door when the female voice appeared back in the room, this time a little more shaken up, "There's been a breach from the entrance and they're moving up the stairs."

He moved towards the table again, going back to his seat to press the button to speak to her, "The guards? There are no guards to stop them?"

"They've all been immobilized. Should I call the police?"

He huffed, "No. This is fine as well. I do hope all my other preparations were done before this mishap."

* * *

"Go! Go! Go!" Inuyasha yelled as they ran up the stairs, Kagome in between the two boys once they reached the fifth floor.

Kagome was breathing heavily, not used to the same rigorous training Miroku and Inuyasha went through being thieves, "What floor?"

Miroku easily said, "Much higher than this. We can take the elevator it seems. The guards are too slow, if there are any more."

They all left the stairwell and ran towards the elevator, Inuyasha picking Kagome up at one point because she was running too slowly. They rushed into the elevator and pressed the button for the living floor, as told by one of the people they beat the crap out of downstairs.

* * *

Naraku was on the living floor and went to her room, she wasn't there. It surprised him, but he guessed she learned her place and stayed in his room. As he paced down the hallway, his temper spiked when he realized she wasn't there either. He slammed his hand on the wall and began to check every door he came across, all except one.

He didn't have the time for this! In a moment of anger he did make it to his ex-lover's room, only to find her daughter kneeling before her bed. She turned to look at him, her eyes glistening with tears.

He quickly shrunk the distance towards her and she got up just as fast, tossing the keys at his head, but he caught them. Sango tried to run away—even though there was no place to go. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close, restraining her even as she squirmed.

"You're a real monster." Sango ground out, kicking at his legs in an effort to get him off. He tossed her on to the bed next to her mother's dead body and she did scream this time, squirming to get off the bed and away from decay.

He pinned her down and she closed her eyes, unable to knee him in the groin because his legs held her own down. He leaned in by her ear, "Behave and follow me." His voice was so cold and threatening, she couldn't bear to do anything but comply as he removed himself from her body and whisked her away with him down the hall.

She promised herself she would not cry as they reached an elevator. Om the other side of the hallway, the opposite elevator doors opened up and out popped Inuyasha holding Kagome, along with Miroku.

"Leave her alone!" Miroku bellowed out running with all his strength to get to the elevator clear across the hallway.

Sango stared up at Naraku and then back at Miroku. She tried to break free from his hold as the elevator nearest to them opened up. He swung her into it, slamming her against the metal inside. She hit it hard, and slumped down to the ground from the quick jolt of pain.

She could hear Miroku's yell and then as Naraku entered the elevator, he extended his hand and flicked his fingers in the air. Long, black tendrils appeared in the air and thickened before shooting down the hall. She mumbled and tried to stand as he pressed the button to the top of the building and tugged on her shoulder so she'd stand next to him.

"I will kill him this time." He opened up a small pad in the side of the wall and pressed in a key.

* * *

Miroku almost didn't see it coming and flung himself back towards the wall, he called down towards Inuyasha, "Move!" They did and with plenty of time to spare. He continued his trek to the elevator and pounded on its doors, "Damn it!" He looked up, "They're going to the top floor, see if we can reach them from the other one."

Miroku saw the expression on Inuyasha's face as they tried to get the elevator to work. Inuyasha called back to him, "He must have broken the damn thing!"

Without waiting for another plan of action, Miroku took to the stairs, beginning the short way up to the top on foot.

* * *

There was almost an entire landing strip at the top of the building, along with a helicopter near the edge.

He shoved her in the direction of the helicopter, but instead, she turned around to punch him and hit his chest. He glared down at her, "You are testing my patience, wife, and I will not stand for this."

She swung at him again, but he caught her fist, "I want my life back! My brother… I want to be normal!" He dragged her forward to the helicopter and while pushing her inside, the stair doors were swung wide open.

Naraku's reply was softer than she expected, "You were never normal to begin with."

Inuyasha and Kagome came out first, followed by their dark haired friend only a short while after. "Let her go." Miroku was breathing heavily now, maybe out of anger, fatigue, or both."

Naraku had already shoved the girl inside the helicopter and got himself in, all while holding her down. Sango turned to look out at the side at her friends, the people who were here to save her.

Miroku ran towards the helicopter as Naraku started it up, he raised his hand steadying it in the air as it started to lift off. He started to run as the wind tunnel opened and the airborne vehicle was slowly pulled back towards them all, dangerously so. He leapt off the edge with a cry from Kagome and caught the railing, causing it to tilt. It was Sango's side, she swung the door open and it caught in the wind, causing it to pull around in the circle.

When he saw her, he almost let go. She was crying. He was trying to speak with her over the roar of the blades, but it was impossible. In the end, he grabbed her, and with the added weight tossed her towards the building, Inuyasha was waiting with open arms and caught her. She was mostly stunned as the helicopter whirled around.

It started to hover over the building again and Miroku took the opportunity to fall, landing in a roll that still hurt regardless of whatever safety features he tried. He wobbled from the short drop and came to a stand.

Sango was placed on the ground and Miroku opened his vortex again as the helicopter slid off to the side. This in fact mad it crash onto the surface. Inuyasha had already taken the two girls towards the side of the building. Everything was going to fall apart soon.

Miroku ran towards where they all were and Sango, coming to a wobbly stand on her own from all the excitement, smacked Miroku across the face, tears fully streaming from her eyes. "What is wrong with you?" She turned around to look at the other two, "With all of you?"

Miroku was stunned, but took the hit easily, nonetheless. He grabbed her by the shoulders and leaned in, "I will always keep you safe." He pushed her into Inuyasha, "Now get her out of here."

Naraku's body could be visibly seen a little bit away from the helicopter. He must have jumped at the last moment. He was well enough to stand.

Inuyasha whisked Sango off her feet, despite her protests, and slung her over his back, her hands left to bang across his back as he took the elevator down, despite the danger of fire. Kagome followed in suit.

Sango was crying, "He'll kill you! Stop! Stop!"

Miroku didn't look back, even as Naraku charged with super human speed and pierced him in the shoulder. The elevator doors closed before the trio as Sango cried out 'No.'

"I suppose you're okay with dying up here." Naraku spat at him, "Your attraction to her power is only because you have it—because she kissed you. You're risking your life for someone you barely know."

Miroku smiled and flexed his hand open as the flames began to spill out over the edge of the building. "Love is a crazy thing." He pulled a knife from his side and stabbed Naraku in the side.

* * *

Sango was inconsolable for hours after the building burned down. It took an hour for it to start to topple, and it was so high up, the firemen could barely contain it.

There was no report of Miroku being found—neither of Naraku.


End file.
